Someday
by CraazyOne
Summary: Someday, Cindy was finally going to stop Betty Quinlan from stealing Jimmy’s attention away from herself. But when her plan ends up endangering the whole gang, her “Someday” might not be quite what she expected…
1. Introduction

I'm still working on this one and I'm not sure how everything will turn out...but here it is! Well, the introduction anyway... REMEMBER: I DON'T OWN JIMMY NEUTRON!!! (You're all probably sick of reading that, but..oh, well!)

"Someday"

By: CraazyOne

Introduction

Deserted island or not, Cindy didn't want to leave. She listened to the soft melody of the island at night and thought it was the most beautiful music she'd ever heard. Sure, she missed Libby and even her parents, but at the moment those emotions were almost completely swallowed up in her joy. Lying back on the cot she'd formed out of branches and palm fronds yesterday, she didn't notice that it was uncomfortable. She was far too happy to care.

Just a few yards away was Jimmy's own tree house, where Jimmy was probably asleep by now. But Cindy couldn't sleep—not yet. She relived the last two days and told herself that every day for the rest of her life will be just as amazing.

She knew just what her friend would say if she were here right now: _Girl, are ya gushin' over Jimmy again? Snap outta your sappy daydreams and get a hold of yourself!_ But even practical Libby couldn't have kept Cindy from daydreaming. Out here on the island, it was just her and Jimmy…and, right now, that was all she really wanted.

Twirling the blue flower she'd picked earlier between her finger and thumb, Cindy studied it with a smile. It still hadn't withered. She set it gently in a vase she'd formed out of an empty coconut shell, then lay back down on her cot and slowly slipped into a peaceful sleep.

The sun shining in her eyes woke her up. Although it was still quite early, she just couldn't sleep any longer, so she rose and combed her hair. Leaving her tree house, she scanned the beach, but Jimmy was nowhere in sight. Since the "elevator" to his tree house was lowered, Cindy figured he must have left to find fruit.

She reached into her pocket and an idea struck her. Smiling faintly, she headed for the jungle. It only took a few moments for her to find the perfect tree. Removing her pocketknife, she worked carefully and diligently for a couple minutes before stepping back to admire her handiwork: "J+C" encircled by a heart.

Jimmy might find it. But then, if he did, why should she care, anyway? Out here on the island, they've become close. She was sure now that he cared for her as much as she cared for him.

On impulse, she carved the word "Forever" beneath the heart.

_Cynthia!_

Cindy rolled over in bed and the voice called again.

"Cynthia Vortex! The bus will be here in half an hour!"

Cindy sat up quickly at her mother's words. Surrounding her were the pink walls of her bedroom—not the flowers and palm trees of the island. She'd been dreaming…again. She glanced through her window at the Neutron residence across the street. Only a street away, but the gap might as well have been a hundred miles.

And "J + C Forever"? More likely to be "J + B Forever". Cindy grimaced as she thought of Betty Quinlan. The mere idea of her ignited jealousy in Cindy's heart—and a firm resolution. She slipped out of bed and got ready for school as her resolve hardened.

Someday, somehow, she would find a way to keep Betty from getting between her and Jimmy.


	2. How To Become Popular

Chapter 1: How to Become Popular

"That was another long and humiliating day at school." Jimmy's head drooped as he trudged along with Sheen and Carl toward the Candy Bar.

"Tell me about it," Carl sighed. "Butch and some of his friends gave me a swirly for the third time this week!"

"Aw, come on guys; it's not that bad! We can always shut ourselves up from society and spend the rest of our lives watching Ultralord and drinking Purple Flurp!" Sheen shot his arm up into the air and stared dreamily off into the distance…

"If only there was some way we could make ourselves popular!" Jimmy mused.

Carl gave his friend a doubtful look. "I don't know, Jim…"

Sheen, however, bust out in immediate approval. "Yeah! We'll hypnotize everyone into liking us! Then they'll obey our every order and worship at our feet!"

"No, Sheen," Jimmy cut in, "having everyone _worship _us is morally flawed and downright absurd! Besides, I don't think hypnotizing the entire city of Retroville would be a prudent course of action."

"You're right; what was I thinking?" Sheen continued walking on ahead of his friends, then suddenly stopped on the sidewalk and turned back to Jimmy. "By the way," he added, "I have no clue what you just said."

Jimmy threw Sheen a "you're hopeless" look. "I mean that hypnotizing everyone in Retroville could be a bad idea. Remember when I hypnotized my parents?"

"Oh, yeah!" Carl chuckled. "All those birthday parties in one week were fattening."

"We don't want everyone following orders;" Jimmy continued, "we just want them to stop constantly mocking, insulting, and berating us. For once, they won't shun our company! They'll actually _want _to spend time with us!"

As the possibilities dawned on them, Jimmy's friends shared in his enthusiasm.

"You mean they'll like it when I do my impression of Ultralord?!" Sheen cried eagerly.

"And they'll want to go with me to the petting zoo?" Carl beamed at the thought of cuddling the animals to his contentment--and _not_ being teased.

Jimmy grinned back. "Yep."

As the trio reached the Candy Bar, Jimmy stopped outside the doors and began to think out loud.

"It shouldn't be too difficult. I'd just need to find a way to alter people's moods when they see us. Generally, someone's immediate reaction to our presence might be anger or disgust, but if I can find a way to change it to happiness, we'd be the most popular kids in school!"

"Not to interrupt your profound thoughts or anything," Sheen said, "but what are we doing just standing here?! Sam's Ultimate Ten-Layer Chocolate Sundae awaits us!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Carl exclaimed.

The boys both rushed inside, dragging Jimmy behind them. But the young genius found it difficult to concentrate on anything his friends said or did in the Candy Bar that afternoon. His mind was in his lab—working on his invention.

The following day at school, Jimmy proudly presented his new invention to his friends.

"Cool!" Sheen yelled excitedly. He leaned in close to peer at the object, then turned to its inventor. "What is it?"

"The Mood Alternator! You just aim it at a person and hit this button. In effect, it works like the hypno-ray by modifying a person's brain waves, except it only affects the portion of the brain that controls their moods. It automatically changes the reaction of the people you aim it at to the complete opposite of what it normally would be. For instance, someone's initial feeling might be anger, but hit this button and they'll be as cool as a cucumber. And just in case anything goes wrong, using the Mood Alternator on them again will automatically reverse the effects. With this invention, we're sure to be popular!"

Sheen's eyes literally bulged out of his head in an effort to comprehend Jimmy's words. Carl, on the other hand, swept aside the technicalities and went straight to the point.

"Well, can you use it on Butch and his gang of bullies?" he asked. "'Cause I really don't want another wedgie today."

"I would," Jimmy began, "but I haven't had a chance to test it out yet. I was thinking we'd better start smaller…say on just one person."

At that moment the school bell rang and the three hurried to their class. As they reached the door, Jimmy whispered to his friends.

"We'll have to try it after school, guys."

Entering the classroom and sliding into his seat, Jimmy noticed something out of the corner of his eye: Cindy organizing the papers on her desk. And suddenly he remembered. Today was the day they were supposed to give an oral report to the class. Perfect, _another_ chance for the class to laugh at him.

Right then, Ms. Fowl, standing before the chalkboard, addressed the class. "As you may remember, children, today you must give a repoorrrrt on…outeerr…space! I hope you all have interesting report to share with the braaaaaw…CLASS!"

Jimmy cringed. He'd been spending so much time in the lab the past week that he'd put off working on his report for last night. But last night he had become engrossed with creating the Mood Alternator and he'd barely had time for his assignment. His report was flawless, of course, but he hadn't had time to make it exciting enough to interest his classmates. They'd make rude comments, fall asleep on their desks, and laugh at him all day! Especially Cindy.

Unless…


	3. A Typical School Day

Hmmm...I still don't own Jimmy Neutron...

Just thought I'd remind you in case anyone forgot. :-)

Thanks for the replies; they encourage me to keep posting...so if you want me to continue, please keep replying! Criticism (kind, I might add) would be taken to heart as well. There's always room for improvement, after all, no matter how long you've been writing.

Chapter 2: A Typical School Day

"SHEEN!" Ms. Fowl yelled suddenly, making the students jerk upright in their seats. "Put your doll away and give us your presenTAAAtion!"

Sheen clutched his action figure tightly and stared at Ms. Fowl in a state of shock. Not only had she ordered him to part with Ultralord, but she'd also made a mockery of his supreme manliness! But Sheen drove away these feelings—with great difficulty—and carefully set his Ultralord figure down on his desktop. He strolled casually to the front of the classroom, then began his report dramatically.

"My fellow students, believe it or not, there was once a day in which the majestic Ultralord didn't exist!"

Groans of protest escaped from students as they realized they were going to have to listen to yet another of Sheen's Ultralord speeches. Cindy rolled her eyes and watched Sheen critically while Libby smacked her hand to her forehead.

As the rest of the students were forced to listen to Sheen ramble on about Ultralord's home planet—Sheen's idea of a report on the universe—Jimmy was lost in thought. Suddenly, he heard Ms. Fowl's piercing voice squawking at him.

"Jiiimmy! Please give the claaass your REPOORRT! BRAAAAW!"

Jimmy slid from his seat and headed quietly toward the front of the class. While avoiding eye contact as much as possible, he gave a fairly modest presentation about the solar system. It wasn't a bad report, but it lacked the excitement needed to capture the students' attention. Except when Cindy compared Jupiter's size to Jimmy's head. But rather than retorting with his own insult, Jimmy ignored her and plunged right back into his presentation. Once finished, he returned to his seat and waited impatiently for the lunch break.

And, amazingly, when Cindy's turn came, Jimmy didn't point out a series of flaws in her presentation. Even when she mentioned how inferior Jimmy's report was, he actually kept himself from seething with rage. She strolled back to her seat with her customary self-satisfied grin, but Jimmy just ignored her.

One after another, the other students took their turns, and Jimmy's attention wavered. He had a difficult time keeping his mind off his invention. At last, he glanced at the clock and saw that they were only five minutes away from lunch.

"NIIICK!" came Ms. Fowl's bird screech.

As calm and self-confident as ever, Nick Dean made his way to the front with one hand in his pocket, stopped, and requested that the lights be dimmed. Enveloped in a creepy atmosphere, Nick began his report in mysterious tones.

"One night, about a year ago," he announced quietly, "a boy in our own city of Retroville witnessed a strange phenomenon. He saw a UFO land near Retroland and a creepy green alien step out! But the most amazing thing of all was that the alien transformed itself to look just like an ordinary boy. That alien went around walking the streets of Retroville in _human form_!"

Fascinated with Nick's report, the students listened spellbound. He continued by giving them a series of "facts" about aliens living among humans and a list of "sightings". When he had finished, Oleander flipped the lights back on.

"Well, Nick, that was a very _iiinn_teresting report!" Ms. Fowl noted appreciatively.

Several of the students applauded, but Nick waved it off coolly as he strolled back to his seat. Jimmy glanced around at the class angrily. How could Nick get so much appreciation for such an absurd report?

Right at that moment, the school bell rang and the students headed eagerly for the door. Jimmy met Sheen in the hall, who was as impressed with Nick's report as everyone else.

"Wow, I didn't know that an alien subspecies that can take human form has been living among us for so long!" he exclaimed.

"It _hasn't_!" Jimmy replied irritably.

"You mean it isn't true?" demanded Sheen.

"No! It's entirely devoid of scientific fact!"

"Oh, man! Then what's my cousin Pedro been taking pictures of all this time?"

"Sheen," Jimmy reminded, "you don't have a cousin named Pedro."

"Oh…right…" Sheen gazed off thoughtfully into the distance.

At that moment Carl approached them. "Did you like Nick's report, Jim?" he questioned.

"No way! It was full of errors, unconfirmed theories, wild assumptions, and blatant disregard for truth! Mine contained only scientifically valid statements. How could everyone like his report more?"

"Maybe because they had no idea what you said," Sheen suggested.

Jimmy gave him a look before he returned to pondering his problems. "I just don't understand it!" he exclaimed.

"Face it, Jimmy," Sheen answered. "Some geniuses just lose their fame after a while. Only you never had any to start with."

Carl attempted to comfort his friend. "It's not that your reports aren't good or anything…they're just kinda…"

"Boring?!" Sheen interrupted loudly.

"Well, uh, they're not exactly as exciting as Nick's…" Carl admitted.

"Well, soon it won't matter how much fellow students mock and ridicule!" Jimmy grinned. "I've got something that'll change everyone's attitude."

"Guacamole?" Sheen asked eagerly.

"No!" Jimmy snapped in frustration. "The Mood Alternator!"

"Oh, yeah," Sheen remembered.

A/N: I know, not much has happened yet, but hold on! The excitement is on the way...after the humorous/suspenseful chapters. Not that there was much suspense in this chapter...but I had to throw some classic Sheen humor in, OK?!


	4. Revenge

I don't own Jimmy Neutron...and I never will...So I'll write fanfiction instead!

Chapter 3: Revenge

Without another word, Jimmy and his friends headed down the hall with the other students. As the three boys entered the cafeteria, Betty Quinlan caught sight of them and waved. Immediately Jimmy practically melted into a puddle on the floor while the smiling Betty headed casually over to where he stood.

"Hey, Jimmy!" she greeted him. "I was thinking…it's too bad the whole Happy Show thing never worked out. So, maybe you could come over to my house after school…and we'll watch something else."

Dazed, Jimmy was left speechless for a moment before he found his voice. He opened his mouth, appearing about to accept the invitation, when Sheen loudly interfered.

"Jimmy! What are you doing?"

"Yeah, Jim. We don't like girls, remember?" Carl reminded.

"Huh?" Jimmy shook his head and snapped out of his trance. Suddenly, he remembered his Mood Alternator. "Uh…I'd love to, Betty, but I actually have something important I'm working on right now…" He grinned up at her. "Maybe a different time?"

Betty smiled again. "All right," she agreed. "See you later."

Mouth agape, Jimmy stared after her until Sheen dragged him away.

At a nearby table, Cindy watched Jimmy and Betty with anger and disappointment growing inside her. If her eyes could shoot lasers, they would be burning a hole in Betty's back right at that moment! She turned to Libby, who was sitting across from her.

"Look at Spewtron drool in front of Little Miss Perfect!" she scoffed. "He has absolutely _no _dignity."

"Come on, girl!" Libby responded. "We all know that if he was standin' and droolin' over _you _instead of Betty, you wouldn't mind."

"That's not true!" Cindy defended herself.

Libby gave her friend a skeptical look. "Sure, it's not."

As Libby returned to her lunch, Cindy smiled nervously and picked at her food, but she couldn't eat. Just the thought of Betty and Jimmy made her sick to her stomach. She hated Betty more than even she could put into words. But somehow, she was going to do something about it. Someday, she would take care of Betty Quinlan...

At that moment, several carefully hidden figures were watching the kids in the cafeteria.

"Ha!" one of the mysterious forms exclaimed. "Look at them stuff their faces in an unconcerned manner that is carefree! But soon my vengeance shall strike swift as the eagle, and furious as the fury of the Chosen One!"

"But, Yoo-Yee," another voice pointed out, "you are not the—"

Yoo-Yee punched the other man, immediately silencing him.

"Shut your mouth hole!" Yoo-Yee ordered. "I am more the Chosen One than he who calls himself 'Chosen One'! All he does is put his leg behind his head! If he did not have that friend whose hair is like the mountain, he would never have lasted one moment in combat against me!" Yoo-Yee turned away and began musing aloud. "I must begin planning a plan that will be amazing! Soon the Chosen One and all his friends will know the fury of the man-bird!"

Again, one of the ninjas interrupted. "Yoo-Yee…"

"Silence! I am trying to talk to myself!" Yoo-Yee snapped. Rubbing his chin and quickly darting his eyes around, he continued his "conversation". "Hmm…perhaps now I should return to the machine that flies! There I may plan in peace."

I hope this is sparking a bit more interest. The suspense is building anyway. At least, in my opinion it is, but you can't always believe the opinion of a crazy person. :-) But, darn it all, being crazy is awesome!!!


	5. An Experiment

I don't own Jimmy Neutron; I don't own Jimmy Neutron. Jeez, you guys tired of that yet, or have you already forgotten what I said?

Chapter 4: An Experiment

At the boys' table in the cafeteria, Jimmy sat thinking dreamily of Betty Quinlan and ignored the food in front of him. Across from him, Carl was engrossed with devouring everything on his tray, but Sheen's hyperactive nature wouldn't let him sit quietly for long.

"Use the Mood Alternator now, Jimmy!" he burst out excitedly. "Then I'll finally have enough people to throw a ridiculously wild Ultralord party!"

"I told you, I haven't had a chance to test it yet," Jimmy replied, trying to be patient. "I can't expose a large group of people to this invention without experimenting!"

For the first time since he'd sat down, Carl stopped eating. "How're you gonna test it, Jim?"

At that moment, Jimmy glanced up and noticed Cindy and Libby heading toward them. He turned back to his friend and grinned mischievously. "Like this."

As always, Cindy wasted no time in starting to throw insults at Jimmy. As soon as she reached the boys' table, she crossed her arms and smiled condescendingly.

"Good job on your report today, Nerdbrain!" she exclaimed. "It was so bad, it actually kept us _awake_ this time!"

"At least _my_ report didn't misrepresent the facts!" Jimmy countered.

Meanwhile, Sheen ignored the upcoming Jimmy-Cindy war of words, casually studied his hand, and addressed Libby.

"So, Libbs, are we on for Friday night?" he questioned.

"Sheen, I told ya, I'm not sittin' around watchin' Ultralord for five hours straight!"

"But I can't watch the premiere of the new Ultralord season _and _stand my grandma's company alone!" Sheen cried tragically.

"_And_ I don't wanna hear ya babble about Ultralord for an hour before it starts and two hours after it's over!" Libby narrowed her eyes at Sheen, who immediately protested.

"But the brilliance of the Ultralord show requires long discussions of its awesomeness! And this will be episode 1000, when Robofiend is given an alien power source that makes him practically indestructible!"

Thus, while Sheen talked about Ultralord—as usual—Jimmy and Cindy argued—as usual.

"Like _your_ report was perfect!" Cindy snapped back at Jimmy. "Pluto is a _planet_, Nerdtron! Didn't you ever hear of the _nine _planets of the solar system?"

"You're wrong, Vortex! Pluto is a _planetoid_, because, in relation to all the planets, its size is—"

"Only _you_ would agree with such a stupid idea!" Cindy interrupted.

"It's not stupid! It's a highly credible belief held by prestigious men of science! But of course, _you _wouldn't understand the complex popular opinions of the scientific community."

"Oh, yeah? Well, _you_ wouldn't know popularity if it smacked you in the face!"

"Funny you should say that…" Jimmy murmured, and glanced around to see if anyone was paying them any attention. Only Carl was watching; all the other kids in the cafeteria were busy chatting and eating, and Sheen was still attempting to convince Libby to watch Ultralord. Quickly Jimmy whipped out his Mood Alternator, and before Cindy had time to react, aimed it straight at her and depressed a button. Immediately she froze in place. Jimmy took this moment to slip his invention back into his pocket; then anxiously watched for the results of his experiment.

After a moment Cindy blinked and looked around a little bewilderedly. Then her eyes fell on Jimmy.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed in disgust. "WHAT are we doing over here?! Come on, Libby; let's go."

As Cindy and Libby began to walk away, Jimmy frowned in confusion. "Cindy, wait!" he cried, jumping from his seat and jogging after her.

Cindy spun around to glare at him, making Jimmy shrink away just a little in fear.

"Do you…um…feel any different?" he asked hesitantly.

Impatiently, Cindy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I feel different?" she demanded.

"Uh…I don't know…"

At that moment the school bell rang, warning the children that they needed to get back to class. Students headed slowly toward the cafeteria doors, but a few lingered. As Brittany walked past the girls, Libby invited her to listen to her new CD after school.

"Like, the new OuttaSync CD?" Brittany nearly fainted at the idea. "I love them!" she gushed. "They're, like, the cutest guys _ever_!"

Hastily, Jimmy took this opportunity to take out the Mood Alternator, point it at Cindy, and press the button once more—just in case it worked the second time. When Libby turned back, Jimmy had already hidden away his invention and Cindy had snapped out of her momentary trance.

"Come on, Cin, we gotta get back to class," Libby told her friend.

Cindy was staring about her with an even more puzzled expression, and this time ignoring Jimmy altogether. "Um, yeah."

As the girls left the cafeteria, Jimmy turned to his friends and shrugged a little disappointedly. "Well, I guess it didn't work. I'll have to make some adjustments after school."

A/N: Poor old Pluto...demoted to a planetoid. Haha, "planetoid"... Yeah. I'm laughing at a scientific term. I never was a scientist (or a mathematician, for that matter) anyway.

And, yeah, we all know why the Mood Alternator "didn't work" on Cindy. ;-)


	6. How Sheen Became an Accomplice

**Hey guys and gals, I apologize...I thought I'd be able to get this up sooner... But, anyway, here it is! **

**I DO NOT OWN JIMMY NEUTRON...but I DO own my story! Yippeeee!!!!!**

Chapter 5: How Sheen (Unknowingly) Became an Accomplice

On their way out of the cafeteria and through the hall toward their class, Cindy turned to her friend confusedly.

"Something weird happened back there," she remarked, frowning in thought.

"Whadda ya mean?" Libby queried.

"I mean that all of a sudden, I felt like I couldn't stand being around Neutron for one more second!" Cindy caught herself and, laughing nervously, quickly tried to cover her mistake. "Not that I ever _want _to be around him, of course…"

Sick of Cindy's constant denials, Libby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Libby, there was something weird going on; I know it!" Cindy exclaimed, making her friend turn back to her.

"Maybe Jimmy zapped ya with one of his inventions and changed your feelin's!" Libby suggested jestingly.

Cindy's face had a look of solid determination. "I don't know…but something's up, and I'm gonna find out what."

After school, Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl headed to the Candy Bar again. Sheen and Carl were excited to be so close to sugar, but Jimmy was preoccupied with his failure. As they headed for one of the booths, he studied the Mood Alternator in frustration.

"I can't believe it didn't work! I don't know where I could have gone wrong!"

"Hey, Jim," Carl began, "since it doesn't work, could Sheen and I use it for a while?"

"Yeah!" Sheen burst out in agreement. "Then we can walk around and shoot that cool beam-thingy at everything in sight!"

"Well, it doesn't appear to have any catastrophic flaws," Jimmy said slowly, "but I don't think that's a good idea, guys."

"Come on, Jimmy! You can trust us!" Sheen insisted. "When did we ever endanger the city of Retroville?"

Carl interrupted matter-of-factly. "Actually, Sheen, there was that time your brain grew huge, and that time we got super powers, and the time we told people to watch the hypnotizing Happy Show—Show…"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Grabbing Jimmy by the shoulders and shaking him, Sheen continued to shout dramatically. " For the love of Ultralord, give us your invention, Jimmy!"

Jimmy shoved Sheen away in annoyance. "Sheen! I told you, I—" But right then he caught sight of Betty sitting at one of the booths in the Candy Bar. She smiled and spoke invitingly.

"Hey, Jimmy. Would you like to sit at my table?"

Jimmy caught himself with his mouth hanging open. "Y-you mean, you and me, sitting at that table together, at the same time?" he questioned, as if the offer was simply too good to be true.

Sheen grabbed him and shook him roughly by the shoulders once more. "Jimmy! What are you thinking?! You can't sit by a FEMALE! We have our own _manly _table at which we discuss _manly_ things!"

Then, all of a sudden, an idea popped into Sheen's sugar-manipulated mind. He darted his eyes from side to side mischievously. "On second thought," he added, "never mind! Go ahead!" He shoved Jimmy toward Betty's table, slyly slipped the Mood Alternator from the genius's hand, and grinned at Carl. Jimmy was too distracted by Betty to even notice that Sheen had taken his invention.

"Come on, Carl; let's get our own table!" Sheen announced. "Then we'll zap Sam with Jimmy's invention and put him in such a good mood that he'll give us all the candy we want!"

Completely oblivious to everything else in the world, Jimmy slipped into a chair and stared dreamily across at Betty.

For a moment, Sheen glanced back at Jimmy. "Man," he commented to Carl, "he's completely lost it!"

Just then Cindy and Libby entered the Candy Bar and Sheen winked at Libby, who rolled her eyes. Cindy's eyes, however, were locked on Jimmy and Betty, sitting at a table in the center of the Candy Bar. "What's King Cranium doing?" she demanded, her gaze still locked on the pair.

"Well," Carl observed, "now it looks like he's eating a chocolate sundae with Betty…and he's listening to her talk, and she's smiling at him, and he's smiling at her, and—"

"We get it!" Cindy interrupted furiously.

Libby turned to Sheen suspiciously. "And what are you two doin'?"

"We're going to entertain ourselves by pointlessly wasting time!" Sheen explained, holding up the Mood Alternator for her to see.

Libby studied the invention curiously. "What is that?"

"It's the Mood Alternator-er!" Sheen responded with enthusiasm.

Turning from watching Jimmy and Betty, Cindy looked at Sheen with sudden interest.

"A mood alternator?"

**A/N: Yep, I'm guessin' ya know what's gonna happen now. But...you still don't know the twist I'm gonna throw at you...next chapter!!! Oh, and thanks for the reviews, everyone!!! Keep 'em comin'; I love to hear what you think. I'll get the next chapter up sooner this time! **

**CraazyOne ;)**


	7. No One Else

**Wow! I didn't expect that many reviews for my last chapter. Thanks, guys! I really appreciate that. Hope this chapter turned out all right...**

**"I don't own Jimmy Neutron." zzzziiip! "I don't own Jimmy Neutron." zzziiip! "I don't own Jimmy Neutron." zzziiiip!**

**Dang broken record!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: No One Else**

"Yeah," Sheen answered Cindy, glancing at the Mood Alternator, "we were going to use it to make ourselves popular."

"When you point it at someone," Carl explained, "it changes their feelings toward the person they're looking at."

A smile formed on Cindy's face and Libby, reading her thoughts, stared at her. "Girl..." she began, but her friend ignored her.

"Could I see it?" Cindy asked Sheen.

"It doesn't work," Carl informed her.

"But it still shoots a cool looking beam-thing!" Sheen added excitedly.

Cindy grabbed the invention from Sheen and studied the buttons covering its surface. Carl and Sheen may have said that it didn't work, but Cindy knew better. She had felt the effects of the Mood Alternator herself just a few hours ago.

She looked up at Betty again, sitting there with that disgusting smile all the boys found so entrancing. _He's all yours, _Betty had said. Liar. There Betty was now, trying to steal _her _Jimmy. Cindy ground her teeth. It was _she_ who had survived countless dangers with Jimmy, _she_ who had spent those blissful days with Jimmy on the island, and _she_ who had always understood Jimmy better than any other girl. Betty could only stand aside, staring and listening in wonder as Jimmy worked with an invention or rattled off a scientific theory. Only Cindy could aid Jimmy in his adventures with her own intelligence and courage. _No one else._

Cindy glanced down at the Mood Alternator, found the right button, and moved her thumb toward it. She hated Betty with a passion, and if this invention did backfire and hurt her—well, it served her right! As Libby stared wide-eyed, Carl watched uncertainly, and Sheen looked on in delight, Cindy pointed the invention at Betty…and pressed the button. Immediately, Betty froze in place, staring blankly at Jimmy.

"Betty? What's going on?" Jimmy asked anxiously. The pain that swept over his face almost made Cindy want to reverse the effects. Almost.

"Cool!" Sheen shouted.

Jimmy whipped around, saw Cindy holding the Mood Alternator, and glared at her. "Cindy, what did you do?!" he yelled.

Cindy smiled smugly. "I was just testing your invention for you."

At that moment Betty snapped out of her trance and looked around, baffled.

"Betty!" Jimmy cried eagerly. "Are you all right?!"

Betty's gaze fell on him...and a frown of disgust twisted her face. "Why am I sitting _here_? I've gotta go." She stood and began walking to the doors.

Jimmy jumped up from his seat and followed her. "Betty! Wait!"

Betty stopped to frown at him once more. "Don't you have some of your silly little inventions to play with?" she sneered.

Jimmy was too dumbfounded to speak. Not wanting to wait any longer for an answer, Betty turned away and exited the Candy Bar, leaving Jimmy to stare after her.

"Hey, Jimmy, your invention _does_ work!" Sheen burst out in excitement.

"I have to reverse the effects!" Jimmy exclaimed urgently.

At that moment, a figure dressed in black leapt out from around the corner of the Candy Bar and stopped Betty outside! Betty watched the man contemptuously, but Jimmy and the gang looked on in shock.

"Ahh! A ninja!" Carl shouted, horrified.

Jimmy was still gazing through the glass doors worriedly. "He looks like one of Yoo-Yee's ninjas!" he cried. As he darted outside, Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Cindy followed.

"Betty," the ninja was saying, "come with me and we will train you in our arts! You shall become a great warrior!"

Betty simply stared at him. "Why would I want to become a great warrior?" she asked skeptically.

Jimmy ran up behind her. "Get back, Betty!" he warned. "He's extremely dangerous!"

Betty glanced back at him contemptuously. "What do _you _know?"

"Ignore the one with the tall head!" the ninja commanded Betty. "Come quickly!"

"No, Betty!" Jimmy cried desperately. "Don't go with him!"

Again, Betty turned back to him in disgust. "Why would I listen to _you_?"

A helicopter was hovering overhead with a long rope dangling from its open door. Wordlessly, the ninja extended a gloved hand to Betty. With a smirk at Jimmy, she deliberately ignored his warnings and reached for the ninja, who immediately snatched her hand. Swiftly and skillfully, he clambered up the rope with Betty in his grasp and disappeared into the helicopter. As it rose into the air and started for its destination, Jimmy and his friends were left standing outside the Candy Bar, staring speechlessly after its retreating form.


	8. Recruiting the Rescue Team

**I know, I know, it's been a long time. But I wanted to make sure this was a good chapter... So I hope it turned out well! **

**P.S. In case you were wondering, I don't own Jimmy Neutron now, either! ...Well, at least not the show. But I can control every one of his thoughts and actions in this fic! Mwahahahaha! **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Recruiting the Rescue Team**

As soon as Jimmy had recovered from his shock, he spun around to face Cindy furiously. "Good job, Cindy!" he exclaimed, his voice heavy with bitter sarcasm. "You just endangered our lives _again_!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Cindy spat. "Well, maybe if you really were so smart you wouldn't have made such a stupid invention in the first place!"

"_Stupid?_ It's not stupid!"

"Yes, it is! And if you can't figure that out, Brainzilla, then maybe you need to check your dictionary!"

"I wouldn't need a dictionary, _Blondie_;" Jimmy shot back, "all I'd have to do is talk to _you_!"

Before Cindy even had a chance to retort, he turned to Carl and Sheen. "Come on, guys, we have to go to Shangri Llama."

They headed down the street toward Jimmy's lab, leaving Cindy and Libby to stare after them. Cindy was fairly boiling with a mixture of rage and disappointment. Gritting her teeth in fury, she shoved the Mood Alternator in her pocket. At least Jimmy hadn't demanded she give that back…yet.

"Girl," Libby told her friend slowly, "if ya were gonna use that invention on _anyone_, you should've done it to Jimmy."

Cindy didn't answer. If Libby could see through her that much, then couldn't she also understand that Cindy felt using the invention on Jimmy wouldn't be the same as him _truly _caring? It would be like the love potion all over again to _make _him like her. And all she wanted was just for him to like her for who she was. But, now, with Neutron absolutely furious with her, it looked as if that would never happen.

Just a few yards away from the girls, as he walked down the street with his friends, Sheen was oblivious to the frustration and anger churning inside Cindy's and Jimmy's minds. Instead, he punched his fist into the air enthusiastically. "Yeah!" he cried. "To Shangri Llama! Yoo-Yee won't stand a chance against the Chosen One this time!"

"But, Sheen," Carl protested, "you can't fight him! Last time you couldn't even dance without Jimmy's invention!"

Jimmy frowned suddenly. "I haven't been able to find the dance machine for weeks, either. I don't know where it could've gone, and we don't have time to look for it! We have to leave _now_!"

"We could go to Master Hong's house so he can train Sheen again," Carl suggested.

"We don't have time for that, either!" Jimmy exclaimed urgently. "We need to get to Betty. We'll have to bring someone who knows karate."

"Hmmm…who do we know that knows karate?" Carl mused.

"I know!" Sheen burst out excitedly. "Ms. Fowl!"

Jimmy and Carl froze and stared at their friend. "Ms. Fowl?" they repeated.

"Sure! Haven't you ever seen her black belt and punching bag?" Sheen asked, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for their aged teacher to kick butt in her spare time.

Jimmy and Carl exchanged looks.

"We can't bring Ms. Fowl, Sheen," Jimmy objected as soon as he found his voice again. "Do you want to run the risk that she'll start passing out pop quizzes on the trip?"

That persuaded Sheen immediately. "I see your point. We'll have to find someone else."

Apparently Carl took that as his cue to make another proposition even less appealing than Sheen's. "You mean like Cindy?" he offered.

"_Cindy?!_" Jimmy could hardly have enunciated his classmate's name more explosively. "This was all her fault in the first place! There's _no_ way I'm bringing _Cindy_."

"Then how're we gonna rescue Betty?" Carl wondered.

Sheen gazed off into the distance thoughtfully. "Maybe Betty will like living among evil ninjas and learning their ways."

Realizing he had no alternative but to bring Cindy along, Jimmy slapped a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Fine!" he snapped, stomping back over to Cindy and Libby, still standing in front of the Candy Bar. It was awful enough for Jimmy to have to ask Cindy to come along, but it was far worse having to admit that he was asking because he needed her help. "Libby…and _Cindy_…" —Jimmy glared at his nemesis a moment before turning back to Libby— "…I'm gonna need your guys' help to save Betty."

"Really?" Libby asked eagerly. "Ya want _us_ to go to Shangri Llama with you?"

But Cindy glared at Jimmy through narrowed eyes. "There's NO way I'm going to battle a bunch of crazed ninjas to rescue Miss 'I'm-So-Perfect-I-Make-Everyone-Nauseous'!" she declared.

Beside Sheen in the parking lot, Carl watched Cindy in surprise. "Wow," he commented, "I didn't know Cindy hated Betty so much."

"I didn't know Betty had such a long nickname!" Sheen responded, equally amazed.

Jimmy raised his voice angrily. "Fine! I didn't want you to come anyway! I don't need your help!" He turned and started marching back down the street, too upset about Betty even to start another fight with Cindy.

Libby turned to her best friend reprovingly. "Cin, ya can't just leave Betty in the hands of those ninjas!"

But Cindy, her arms crossed, continued glaring at Jimmy's back. "Yes, I can," she insisted.

"Listen, girl…"

"Mr. Know-It-All doesn't need my help!" Cindy retorted obstinately.

Now it was Libby's turn to cross _her_ arms and make her voice even firmer. After all, she could be just as stubborn as Cindy if she wanted to. "Well, _I'm_ goin', an' if I'm goin', so are you!" she declared.

Cindy scowled. "Fine!" she yelled short-temperedly, but Libby was too content over her victory to be upset at her friend's tone.

"Wait up, Jimmy!" Sheen called after Jimmy, who'd left both his friends behind in the parking lot. "The girls are coming!" He turned back to Libby and poured on the charm with a grin. "I always knew you could solve anything, my Gangstress of Love!"


	9. Ninjas in Space

**I'm here! Hope this chapter is good enough after the age I made everyone wait for it... :( **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Ninjas in Space**

Down in his lab, Jimmy occupied his friends with gathering up some of his inventions and loading them into the Hovercar outside. Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Goddard went to work willingly, but Cindy stubbornly crossed her arms and made a few ill-tempered comments that, for once, Jimmy was too focused studying his computer screen to pay attention to. Only when Libby threw Cindy a pointed look and thrust the Quantum Replay into her hands did she stomp outside after her friend. Sheen started after them with Jimmy's rocket and the Hypno Beam piled precariously in his arms, until the Shrink Ray caught his eye. Dropping the inventions he held with a crash, he quickly went to work shrinking everything in sight.

"Sheen!" Libby's firm voice made him let go of the Shrink Ray immediately and turn to face her sheepishly. But before Libby could say anything more, Jimmy's astonished voice burst on their ears.

"Pukin' Pluto!" he cried. Libby and Sheen glanced over to see what had happened just as Cindy and Carl came up behind them. Jimmy was staring at the radar screen on the computer before him, obviously shocked at whatever he'd discovered. "The ninjas aren't going to Shangri Llama;" he finally explained to his friends, "they're headed into space!" He slapped a hand to his forehead and frowned in thought. "But I don't understand! Why aren't they headed for Shangri Llama? And where did they get a spaceship?!"

"Maybe they went to get the Martians' autographs!" Sheen suggested eagerly.

Libby shook her head at Sheen's comment and turned to Jimmy. "Lemme get this straight: you've got a tracking device on 'em somehow and it's tellin' ya the ninjas are takin' Betty into space?"

"Well, there's sorta one on Betty's shoe," Jimmy admitted uncomfortably.

"What?!" Cindy exploded. "How—"

"There's no time!" Jimmy broke in hurriedly. "We have to follow them!" He seemed about to spring from his chair when another voice stopped him.

"But, Jimmy," Carl protested worriedly, "I don't like space travel; it aggravates my asthma and makes my back ache and my feet swell up and—"

"_Carl!_" Jimmy frowned impatiently.

Carl cowered down. "I DON'T WANNA FACE NINJAS IN SPACE!" he shouted.

Cindy grinned at Libby. "So now it's ninjas in space, huh? That sounds like a cheap thriller movie."

Sheen had been amusing himself with poking Jimmy's invisible hamster, but as soon as he caught Cindy's words, he spun round excitedly. "_Ninjas in Space_?! That's the best movie ever! After all the Ultralord movies, of course…" he was careful to add.

This time it was Sheen's turn to face Jimmy's frown of annoyance. "We have to hurry!" the genius exclaimed. "Take everything we need out of the Hover car and put it in the space car!"

Libby couldn't resist a playful jab at Cindy. "Better pack your radiation-proof makeup," she teased, causing her friend to roll her eyes.

Without wasting another moment, Jimmy leapt out of his chair and started leading the way out of his lab. Libby followed with Cindy walking grudgingly behind. Even Carl had plucked up enough courage to step toward the doors, but Sheen's attention was fixated on a large, vicious plant sitting off in the corner.

"Cool! It's the Girl Eating Plant!" he burst out eagerly.

"Sheen!" Jimmy reprimanded, stopping to frown at him. "That's highly dangerous!"

Sheen, however, remained unconcerned. "Do you think it'd eat Ms. Fowl?" he mused.

"_Sheen! _Come on; we've gotta go!" Jimmy exclaimed impatiently. He ran through the lab door with the others on his heels.

Looking back at the Girl Eating Plant regretfully, Sheen began to follow when a mischievous expression formed on his face. Dashing over to the flower, he snatched it up as he ran out the lab, grinning triumphantly. But another shout from Jimmy made him hastily release it. Without further ado Sheen climbed into the space car, leaving the Girl Eating Plant to sit outside the clubhouse, unnoticed by everyone else.

* * *

While Jimmy maneuvered the car over the city of Retroville, Sheen leaned back comfortably in the back seat. "Ahh, the _Antares_ Z-class sedan!" he sighed. "I love this car! It's almost as awesome as the Ultra-Ship, only _it_ was painted in ultra-colors and had a radio built into the control panel so Ultralord could listen to his favorite intergalactic tunes!"

Libby glanced over at Sheen as if she were about to comment, then seemed to think better of it and shut her mouth.

Moments later, the _Antares_ cleared the earth's atmosphere and entered the realms of space. It was then that Jimmy returned his attention to tracking the ninjas' progress and reporting it to the rest of the gang. "It looks like they're heading straight toward—"

He was interrupted by an image of Yoo-Yee in his spaceship abruptly taking the place of the radar screen. Jimmy and his friends gathered close to listen as Yoo-Yee immediately fixed his piercing gaze on Sheen. "I am certain, Chosen One," he began, "that you must recall me: Yoo-Yee, your rival!"

But before the ninja could say anything more, Jimmy interrupted. "What did you do with Betty?!" he yelled impatiently.

"Patience, Large-Headed One, I had not yet completed my gloating in its entirety!" Yoo-Yee fairly barked. "But you are correct: I have indeed kidnapped the one you love!"

Cindy rolled her eyes.

"If you ever want to see her again," Yoo-Yee continued, "you and He Who Puts Leg Behind Head must defeat me in a battle that will be violent! We will fight with fists on the earth-rock and see who truly is—the Chosen One!" With that, the image of Yoo-Yee vanished, leaving the kids to glance at one another, somewhat bewildered.

"So," Libby began slowly, "the guy that's had one too many punches to the head is tryin' to defeat Sheen again."

Cindy frowned thoughtfully. "What did he mean by 'earth-rock'?"

Jimmy had returned to tracking the ninjas' progress through space. "I don't know," he said, "but it looks like they could be headed to that huge asteroid between Earth and Mars!" He indicated a large, lumpy object located between the two planets and the other kids studied it with interest.

After a few moments, with nothing else to do, the kids left Jimmy to piloting his ship while they returned to their seats and stared through the glass. Suddenly, Carl pointed at something and addressed the boy genius. "Hey, Jim, is that planet over there Venus?" he wondered.

"No, Carl," replied Jimmy, sounding as if he were forcing himself to be patient, "that's the moon."

A goofy grin sliding across his face, Sheen turned to Libby. "Ah, Venus!" he said. "The Roman goddess of love!"

Libby merely crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Put a sock in it, Sheen," she told him shortly.

"Where'd your empty skull pick up that information, anyway?" Cindy inquired sharply.

"Hey!" Sheen responded indignantly. "Carl and I learn a lot from Jimmy!"

Libby and Cindy glanced at each other, not needing to say a word to convey their skepticism.


	10. Surprises

**No, I don't own Jimmy Neutron, because if I did, there'd be another season. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Surprises**

* * *

Back on Earth, Jimmy's parents were proceeding with their everyday lives. As Judy Neutron hummed cheerily in the kitchen as she baked a pie, Hugh strolled out into the yard to clean up after Goddard.

"Well," Hugh commented as he inhaled the fresh air, "I couldn't have asked for a better day to clean the yard! The sun is shining…the birds are chirping…our big, vicious-looking flower is terrorizing the neighbors!"

Hugh took a few more steps before realization hit him and he turned back around suspiciously. Mrs. Vortex was shrieking hysterically and bolting down the street—away from a bright yellow blossom sitting right outside Jimmy's lab. As his neighbor disappeared down the road, Hugh Neutron edged toward the plant to study it closer.

"That's strange…" he mused; "I don't remember planting a flesh-eating flower next to Jim-Jam's lab!" Then, all of a sudden, his face brightened as an idea struck him. "It must be a surprise from Jimbo to Sugar-Booger!" he exclaimed. He patted the plant's huge, golden petals appreciatively, an action that only caused the flower to snarl. Drawing his hand back quickly, Hugh let a momentary frown darken his face. "Hmm, I've never met a plant that could growl! This—this is _amazing_! I should tell Butter Biscuit about her new gift!" Starting back toward the house, he called out to Judy. "Sugar-Booger!"

Then one more idea ran through Hugh's simple, childish mind. He stopped to glance back at the plant one last time as he let himself consider this new thought. "Or maybe that's not a good idea," he concluded slowly. "It would be much more thoughtful if I left it as a surprise!"

* * *

As Jimmy carefully maneuvered the _Antares_ close to Yoo-Yee's position, the rest of the gang continued gazing out the windows, but they saw no sign of the other ship. Time passed agonizingly slowly for Libby and Cindy as Carl began an especially tuneless song about space travel and Sheen tinkered with his chair's massage feature.

"_Space rocks, space rocks,_" Carl's voice grated on their ears; "_full of holes and blemish pocks—_"

"O-o-o-o-o-oh, baby!" Sheen exclaimed over Carl's song. He hit a button on his chair to stop the vibrations and a dizzy grin crossed his face. Right when he seemed about to collapse, he shook his head and snapped back to himself. "Man, that was awesome!" he shouted, and flipped the switch back to the massage setting.

Rolling her eyes, Cindy had just opened her mouth to yell at both Carl and Sheen, when an especially huge asteroid came into view. With mouths agape, she, Libby, and Carl stared in wonder until even Sheen noticed their fascination and turned to see.

"Who-o-o-oa," he said. He switched his chair off vibrate and sprang from his seat to get a better look, but as he tried to cross the ship's interior he stumbled dizzily and fell.

"That's no asteroid," Libby commented, shaking her head in sheer astonishment.

She was right: for rather than looking like just another floating rock, this asteroid resembled a small planet! Shades of deep green and blue were splashed over its surface, as if the asteroid were a miniature Earth, complete with land and water. Above those colors, swirls of pure white enveloped the asteroid like a shimmering mist. It was a shocking and beautiful sight.

"It looks just like the planet the ruthless cyborgs created into their own evil paradise!" Sheen proclaimed in excitement as he pulled himself off the floor. "Ultralord crash-landed on the planet in episode 997 and had to go incognito as a mass of metal with a heart of steel!"

Carl was gazing at a mass of grey clouds hovering over a portion of the asteroid. "Hey, Jimmy," he spoke up, "is it going to rain on the asteroid?"

Still focused on controlling the ship through the maze of space rocks, Jimmy hadn't even noticed the asteroid-planet. Now he fought to remain patient with his friend as he veered around another rock. "No, Carl," he explained, "asteroids have no atmosphere, so it would be impossible for it to ever rain on one."

"Is that why a bunch of clouds are collecting over its surface?" Cindy's voice was drenched with sarcasm.

"What?!" Frowning, Jimmy spun around in his seat and stared out at the asteroid, his eyes widening in shock. "Leaping leptons!" he cried. "Someone must have formed an atmosphere similar to Earth's on the asteroid!"

Cindy frowned in thought. "But how could anyone do that?"

"Well, I _was_ researching possible ways to form an atmosphere that would make planets hospitable," Jimmy replied, "but no one else has ever come close to my discoveries!"

"Maybe someone stole your research," Libby suggested.

"But Yoo-Yee doesn't have the resources or the intellect to use my discoveries!" Jimmy protested. "Who else could have done this?"

"Wait a minute," Cindy broke in, breaking off Jimmy's train of thought. "You're saying that someone stole your studies, flew to this asteroid, _and_ formed some sort of artificial atmosphere around it without your noticing a thing?" She raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"Hey, I've been busy!" Jimmy defended himself.

Before Cindy could hurl another insult at Jimmy, Sheen's voice interrupted. "Well, I don't know about you guys," he remarked casually, "but I'm thinking we should get ready to land before we crash into the giant asteroid right in front of us."

Recalling himself, Jimmy turned back to piloting the space car while the rest of the kids hurried to their seats and strapped themselves in securely. As they swung away from this last space rock, the cloud-covered asteroid suddenly loomed before them.

"This is incredible!" Jimmy breathed. Then his astonishment gave way to triumph and he broke out into a shout. "Ha! I did it! I discovered how to create a perfect duplication of the earth's atmosphere!"

"You'd better hold off the party, Neutron," Cindy muttered dryly. "Whoever did this could be dangerous."

"Yeah," Libby agreed. "He's usin' your own discoveries against you!"

Jimmy's smile died away at the reminder. Tightening his hands on the throttle, he frowned thoughtfully as the _Antares_ was pulled into the asteroid's atmosphere by an unnatural source of gravity. Whoever had managed to create this, Jimmy mused, knew how to capitalize on _his _discoveries. And, if Yoo-Yee's mysterious ally was _this_ eager to help…well, then Jimmy had an uneasy feeling there was more behind Betty's kidnapping than Yoo-Yee's desire to become Chosen One.


	11. Welcome to Asteroid City

**Look! Another chapter! What bizarre, unfathomable universe have we entered? **

**...No, seriously. Where the heck am I?**

**By the way...I DON'T OWN JIMMY NEUTRON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, PLACES, ULTRALORD EPISODES, PURPLE FLURP, ETC., ETC., ETC. But I do have ultimate control in my fanfiction; I feel powerful! struck by lightning**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Welcome to Asteroid City**

An abrupt jerk from the ship tore Jimmy from his thoughts and forced him to put every ounce of his concentration into maneuvering toward the asteroid's surface. Strapped tightly in their seats and wide-eyed with anticipation, his friends watched silently as they dove through each layer of the artificial atmosphere. Jimmy clung to the throttle, muttering under his breath as they sped downward. "Homosphere… Mesosphere…Stratosphere…Troposphere!"

The billowy white and grey clouds beneath them quickly became larger as they drew near, until suddenly the _Antares_ plunged right into them. Blinding white light surrounded them for a brief moment and then they were out, still dropping at a tremendous rate. The asteroid surface magnified right before their eyes: trees seemed to practically spring from the ground, indistinguishable shapes became buildings, lines formed roads, and specks of motion transformed into flying machines buzzing through the city. At last, Jimmy pulled up and the spacecraft curved skyward, swooping down beside the huge asteroid city as it sparkled in the orange glow of sunset.

Libby stared through the glass in awe. "What _is_ this place?" she asked as soon as she found her voice.

"It looks like a civilization even more technologically advanced than ours!" Jimmy answered, his tone equally astonished.

"I have a bad feelin' about this place," Libby muttered, and Cindy shot her a look of agreement.

Sheen, however, unfazed by Libby and Cindy's fears or Carl's sudden dash to find a place to throw up, was busy scanning the asteroid city with glee. "This looks just like Ultralord's home planet!" he announced. Then another idea hit him, and the boy spun around and literally attacked Jimmy in his seat by shaking him until he went limp. "Jimmy, Jimmy," he exclaimed, "we hafta look for Ultralord! I NEED to meet him; it's my lifelong dream!"

"Ugh, Sheen!" Jimmy pulled himself out of his friend's iron grasp, and, frowning, returned to piloting the ship. "We're here to find Betty, remember?"

Sheen trudged rather disappointedly back to his seat. But when the _Antares_ began soaring over the skyscrapers, he once again joined the others as they studied the city in wonder. Flying cars zoomed through the air below, dodging around buildings at breakneck paces and not stopping for anything. On the streets, people the size of ants hurried about their activities. Many citizens had their own jetpacks and hover boards, boots, and bikes.

"I have to find a safe place to land away from civilization," Jimmy announced to his friends. "Then we have to find Yoo-Yee…and whoever created this place."

"It's amazin'!" Libby breathed. "Just like what Earth would look like in the future!" Lifting her eyes to the sky, she drank in the mosaic of brilliant colors with admiration.

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed. He swept the space car away from the city and over the gently rolling grasslands on its outskirts. "But you're right: I don't have a good feeling about this place, either. I think it could be dangerous."

The land below gradually grew flatter and more barren, until there was only grass as far as the eye could see. Here Jimmy brought the space vehicle to rest. The gang eagerly stood from their seats and stretched, but crept more hesitantly to the door. As they stepped out cautiously, they peered up at the sky, down at the grass, and all around themselves as if expecting an alien being to attack at any moment. With ears perked and eyes alert, even Goddard appeared apprehensive as he trotted close to Jimmy.

"Goddard, scan for any human presence," Jimmy said at last, breaking the eerie silence.

Goddard did a quick scan, but his tracking device picked up nothing in the area.

"There aren't any humans in the vicinity." Jimmy rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Goddard's radar must be out of range. Betty could be anywhere on this asteroid!"

"What about all those people back in that city?" Cindy wondered. "Can't Goddard's radar pick them up too? Or are you saying they're all aliens?"

"But they looked human!" Libby pointed out.

Sheen took this chance to burst in dramatically. "They're the morphing alien subspecies Nick was talking about in school!"

Carl screamed in horror. "Jimmy, let's go back home!" he cried. "I don't like it here, and I think this strange atmosphere is giving me hives…"

"Guys, calm down," Jimmy interrupted. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation…"

"Yeah!" Sheen interrupted. "We're all gonna be eaten! Just like in 'Ultralord Vs. the Brain-eating Aliens'!" He gazed up at the sky dreamily. "This is the best day of my life!" he sighed.

Jimmy stopped Carl before he began to panic again. "Guys, we have to find Betty!" he reminded them, obviously growing frustrated.

"Why don't we go back to the city an' see if we can find out somethin' there?" Libby suggested.

"But the aliens are there!" Carl protested. "And it's all big and scary…and…and futurey!"

Jimmy's brow creased in thought. "I think Libby's right," he said after a moment. "Let's head back to the city and ask the native population about Betty. We just have to be careful."

* * *

Back in Retroville, Hugh and Judy Neutron were sitting at the dinner table.

"Jimmy's been ignoring me all day!" Judy exclaimed in annoyance. "I told him to come in and get some dinner before it gets cold, and he's still in the lab!" She picked at her food rather angrily.

"Now, Sugar-Booger, don't get upset," Hugh soothed. "I'm sure he's just busy inventing some mind-boggling new technology that'll save the world, or…endanger it again," he added.

"Well, I don't approve of him going without dinner or staying up late on a school night!" his wife declared. "Go out there right now and tell him to come in."

Hugh paused as he dug his fork into a slice of pie. "Oh…but I was just getting to the extra-scrumptious layer of this delicious pie!" he whined.

Sighing, Judy stood and headed outside herself. "Jimmy!" she called, stepping off the front porch and striding purposefully across the yard. But as she approached the lab, she caught sight of the Girl-Eating Plant and stopped to stare.

"What in the world…?" Her voice drifted off as the flower sniffed the air, then turned toward her with a snarl. Crying out in fear and surprise, Judy dashed back to the front porch. "Hugh!" she yelled.

Hugh Neutron appeared at the door. "What is it, Butter Biscuit?"

Trembling with fear and anger, Judy pointed a finger toward the back yard. "Go back there right now and find out what Jimmy's up to! I think he's planted some sort of vicious plant!"

Realization dawned in Hugh's eyes. "Oh, that's just Jimbo's surprise! It appears to be sort of…life threatening, but it does add a certain charm to our yard, don't you think?" he finished, stepping out to admire the flower from a distance.

Judy set a hand on her hip and gave her husband a look. "Hugh! Get rid of it right away!" she ordered firmly. Marching back to the safety of the house, she left Hugh outside to deal with the Girl-Eating Plant.

"I'm on it!" Hugh exclaimed. He strolled over to the plant, lifted it up by its pot, and plopped it down on the curb. It sat within its pot looking completely docile the entire time, causing Hugh to glance down at it curiously after dropping it at the side of the road. But he didn't bother to wonder about it for long. Rubbing his hands, he turned to the house. "And now back to that pie!"

* * *

On the outskirts of the futuristic city, Jimmy and the gang stopped to stare uncertainly at the skyscrapers overshadowing them. In the dying light, they had an imposing appearance.

"This place gives me the creeps," Libby remarked as she examined a darkened alley suspiciously.

"What do you mean?!" Sheen shouted with excitement. "Check out all the technologically advanced, highly dangerous machinery! It's awesome!" He reached out to touch a glowing electric shield surrounding a building like a fence. When it shocked him, he jumped a whole two feet in the air before falling back to the ground. He blew the smoke off his finger, and, with a grin, poked the fence again.

"And I thought he couldn't get any weirder," Cindy muttered to Libby.

"Oh, that's nothing. He does it all the time," Carl explained casually. "You should see him after a 24-hour Ultralord marathon."

Ignoring his friend's antics, Jimmy scanned the city closely before turning back to the rest of the gang. "Come on, guys. Just because it looks big and dark and dangerous doesn't mean it's that bad." He stepped forward and Libby and Cindy began following reluctantly.

"Wait!" Carl insisted, freezing them all in their tracks. "We should stop for snacks to build up our strength!"

"Carl…" Jimmy began.

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Sheen put in. Realizing his hair was standing on end, he smoothed it down. Libby raised an eyebrow when she saw him, but since he seemed fully recovered from the electricity and not about to shock himself again, she let it slide.

"Did you pack your Pie-O-Matic Machine, Jim?" Carl wondered.

"Pie-O-Matic?" Libby repeated.

Removing a cube-shaped invention from his pocket, Jimmy forgot all about pushing onward into the city with this opportunity to brag. "Oh, it's nothing. I just used the technology behind my Slumbertron 9000 and the Hypercube and combined them to form the ultimate pocket-sized, instant pie assembler," he explained with false humility. "It has enough storage to carry the ingredients for just about any pie you can imagine! I was going to give it to my dad, but I figured we might need it for the trip."

Cindy rolled her eyes, but before she could snap out a rude comment about Jimmy's ego, Libby shot her a warning look that closed her mouth. With a frown of frustration, the blonde crossed her arms and studied Jimmy's invention irritably. Libby found herself shaking her head and wondering what to do with her best friend.

But her thoughts were cut short, for at that instant, the sound of crashing glass rang out in the night. The kids whipped around as a boy flew out of a nearby ground-floor window and fell flat on his face on the sidewalk. From within the building came a man's angry voice.

"…And STAY out!"

Throwing the building an indignant glare, the boy pulled himself to his feet, brushed himself off, and headed down the street toward the gang. Rather than simply going around, he marched straight up to them and thrust them rudely out of his way. "I'm _trying_ to walk here!" he snapped. "You got a problem with that?!"

Taken aback, the kids just stared after the boy in surprise as he stomped down the street. Suddenly, another piercing noise forced them to look up at the sky and jerk away just before a hovercar, swooping low to the ground, sped right through the spot where they'd been standing. More blaring sounds came from overhead, where furious citizens honked their horns and shouted at one another. A few even rammed other hovercars and then zipped away, laughing evilly at the damage they'd caused. The kids gazed at the havoc in growing astonishment and fear.

"Talk about road rage," Sheen commented.

As the hovercars poured in from another section of the city, they darted through the air like so many angry bees. The earlier quiet was shattered, and the gang was left standing rather bewilderedly in the middle of the street. In fact, they were so befuddled by all the noise and confusion that they almost didn't notice when several more hovercars dipped straight toward them.

It was Jimmy who happened to see them. "Watch out!" he shouted.


	12. The Entertainers

**Aw, forgive me for the endless wait, everyone. If I even have any readers left... OO I haven't given up on this fic yet!!**

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**Chapter 11: The Entertainers**

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The kids sprinted toward the sidewalk and turned breathlessly to watch the hovercars rocket past them. As the wind whipped through their hair and the noise buzzed in their ears, they could feel the very air around them vibrate from the machines' momentum. Then the vehicles soared back up into the sky, leaving the kids to stare in awe.

"Um…I don't think it's safe out here," Jimmy said slowly. He turned to face the row of buildings behind them and stepped a little hesitantly towards the nearest one. A poorly played melody floated out to their ears as they approached the open doorway and stared uncertainly into the dark interior. Within were rows of tables lined up before a stage on which someone was attempting to play a song on a somewhat battered keyboard. Those sitting at the tables were eating and glaring at the man on stage, until at last someone let out a loud boo, which was soon echoed throughout the restaurant. A man tossed a tomato at the musician, someone else hurled another, and soon a whole tomato volley followed.

"You call that talent?!" came an enraged shout.

With that, the crowd started grabbing anything that happened to be on their plates and throwing it all at the stage. The performer stopped playing at last, jumping out of his seat, and, to the kids' surprise, responding by throwing the food right back at the people!

"Yeah!" Sheen cheered. "A food fight!"

"Is this whole asteroid some kind of giant mental institution?!" Cindy demanded.

Libby grimaced at the scene unfolding before them. "Yeah," she agreed, "these people are actin' just a _little_ weird."

"I don't know," Jimmy responded, frowning in thought for the hundredth time that day. "They spend all their time committing evil actions and working hard to keep from being decent citizens. It reminds me of…Evil Jimmy's duplication of Earth!" The idea hit the genius like a bombshell. Why hadn't that occurred to him before…? Yet he quickly tossed the thought aside. "But it couldn't be!" he argued with himself. "Evil Jimmy trapped himself and all the citizens in a dark matter dimension and there's no way they could've escaped!"

"Well, _someone _had to create this place." Cindy glanced at him pointedly.

"We'll have to worry about that later," Jimmy answered, sweeping the subject out of the way. "Right now, if we're gonna find Betty, we have to blend in with the population."

As if they'd heard Jimmy's last remark, the people suddenly became aware of the children's presence and turned on them menacingly. At first the gang only felt terror, but as they studied the citizens closer, their mouths dropped open in shock instead.

"Hey, Jimmy," Sheen whispered at the genius's side, "why do all these people look vaguely familiar?"

Before Jimmy could reply, a familiar man in a white T-shirt stepped from the shadows at the back of the building and glared at the kids. This time, their eyes practically bulged out of their heads.

"_Sam?_" they chorused.

Cindy threw a glance at Jimmy. "You were saying…?"

Too upset to be annoyed at Cindy's comment, Jimmy stared in mixed shock and horror at Sam. "This asteroid _is _populated with the evil clones!"

As Sam and a few other clones advanced toward them, the gang crept back nervously.

"What're ya kids doin' in my restaurant?!" Sam's clone barked. "Yeah!"

Sheen thought quickly. "Uh…" he stuttered, "we came to…uh…entertain you!"

The clones frowned skeptically before slowly coming to a stop. Sam studied them a moment before relenting. "Fine! But ya better be good…or else! Yeah," he threatened, receding into the darkness from which he'd come. His customers threw dark looks at the children as they reluctantly returned to their seats.

Splattered with tomato juice and coated in food, the performer slipped off the stage and exited the restaurant, kicking a parked hovercar and setting off its alarm as he went. The kids moved uncertainly toward the vacated stage and began climbing the stairs. When they reached the top, they stood in a cramped cluster and blinked back at the crowd anxiously.

"Good going, Ultrafreak!" Cindy muttered, leaning toward Sheen with a venomous fire in her eyes. He responded with a frightened grin.

"Whadda we do?" Libby questioned.

Jimmy shot his friends a smile. "We entertain them."

"Ah, this'll be easy!" Sheen interjected. He rushed toward center stage and snatched up a few of the smashed tomatoes. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced to the crowd proudly, "prepare to be astounded by my awesome juggling abilities!"

The rest of the kids stared in horror. "We're doomed," Cindy declared.

Sheen tossed the tomatoes into the air, hitting the ceiling with several, but dropping most to the ground. Carl became too distracted by all the food to worry anymore. With a smile of absolute contentment, he devoured a smashed slice of cake lying on the stage in mere moments. "Mmmm, chocolate," he proclaimed. Libby, Cindy, and Jimmy stared at him in disgust.

Boos erupted from the angry crowd and there were several shouts for them to get off the stage.

"I haven't seen anything this bad in ages!" a woman complained.

At that moment, a boy seated in a booth near the doorway stood to his feet. With a start, the gang recognized him as none other than Sheen's evil clone! He was clothed in Sheen's customary Ultralord outfit, but he clutched a Robofiend action figure in his hand.

"I say we tie them up and throw food at them mercilessly!" Evil Sheen cried, jerking a finger at the gang excitedly. His eyes held his counterpart's usual animation; only their friendly, harmless look had been replaced with a threatening gleam.

"Wait!" Jimmy called out, running to the edge of the stage and raising a hand as if to stop the oncoming food volley. "You haven't seen anything yet!" He made a dramatic sweeping gesture, and their clone audience paused to study him dubiously. Jimmy grinned hopefully and continued, "I give you…a comprehensive study of common geometric theorems!"

The crowd stared at him blankly. "_What_?!" a man cried.

Libby rolled her eyes as Cindy cringed and turned to her. "You're our only hope now, Libbs!"

A knowing grin slid across Libby's face. Before Jimmy could begin his mathematic lecture, she strode confidently over to the piano, slipped into the seat, and turned to the crowd. "Are ya ready for some _real_ entertainment?" she demanded, and received a shout of assent from the clones.

Without hesitation, she set her hands to the keys and burst into a fast-paced melody reminiscent of the _Mission: Impossible_ theme. As her fingers flew deftly along the keyboard, the rhythm pulsated through the room, earning appreciative cheers from the crowd. Goddard flipped out a disco ball from his back and let the rainbow lights flash across the stage and dance in Libby's dark eyes. Throwing a mischievous grin in Libby's direction, Sheen began attempting fancier juggling moves in order to go along with the music's tempo. Cindy clapped her hands to the beat and plastered a smile on her face, despite her inward fear that Sheen would launch a tomato at the crowd. Jimmy gaped at them, half-pleased that they'd found a way to satisfy the people, and half-frustrated to see they'd stolen the spotlight from him. But, whatever Jimmy felt, Libby's passion for music had spread to the crowd. Sheen had somehow managed to keep up with her song and not drop a single tomato, and even Carl began to feel the enthusiasm. Wiping some of the cake crumbs from his face, he followed Cindy's lead and began clapping, then swinging his hips to the music—which, needless to say, didn't sit too well with the clones.

"You call _that_ dancing?!" a man shouted, glaring at poor Carl. The boy lowered his head in embarrassment and stared at his feet.

Libby's song ended right at that moment. She turned back to the crowd with a content smile on her lips and a fire in her eyes, but when she noted the clones' growing unrest, her happiness quickly vanished. Cringing, she stepped away from the keyboard. Off to her right, one of Sheen's tomatoes sailed dangerously close to the ceiling and landed with a smack on top of his head.

"This performance is terrible!" a woman yelled.

Jimmy stepped to front stage desperately. "But you couldn't possibly be disappointed with a lesson in advanced mathematics!"

Loud groans and another cry to punish the kids rose up from the audience. Libby and Cindy stood side-by-side near the back of the stage with growing fear in their eyes. Wiping the smashed tomato off his head, Sheen finally noticed the restless crowd and backed off nervously.

"Um, Jimmy…" Carl began anxiously, creeping toward his best friend, who still stood at the stage's edge, wracking his brain for a way to appease the clones. But one of his shoes slipped in Sheen's smashed tomatoes, and with a cry and a huge thud, Carl found himself falling backwards on the stage. The rest of the kids cringed, but the audience burst out in cruel laughter. Carl struggled to get to his feet, but slid in the tomato juice and hit the floor once again, resulting in an even louder outburst from the crowd.

It was then an idea struck Jimmy. He turned back to his friends. "That's it!" he exclaimed softly, his voice barely distinguishable to the gang over the audience's noise. "They enjoy watching people suffer! Entertaining them can't be that hard!"

"What do you want us to do, run around and trip ourselves?" Cindy demanded sarcastically.

"Just find some way to preoccupy them while I find a way to get out of here!" Jimmy responded.

"Got it, Jimmy!" Sheen saluted his friend.

Heading to the back of the stage and scanning the room, the genius quickly analyzed the situation. The audience blocked the entrance, and, from what Jimmy could see, that was their only exit. But, if his friends could just entertain the crowd long enough, he knew he could find a way to get out of there.

With Jimmy occupied with finding an escape route, Cindy stepped forward to take control of the situation. "If you think that was good," she proclaimed to the crowd, "watch this!" She took Jimmy's Pie-O-Matic from Goddard and punched a few buttons. Removing a pie from the invention, she turned to Sheen. He gave her a thumbs-up and she launched the pie right in his face! The crowd burst into cheers and laughter. Cindy pulled out another pie from the Pie-O-Matic and this time, tossed it at Carl.

"Ow! Cindy," Carl whined, "when you're pretending to be mean, could you not be as mean as when you really are being mean?"

"_Carl_!" Sheen broke out. "Take it like a man!" He turned to Libby and winked. "Here, Sugar Cake, throw one at me and see how your man takes pain!"

Libby lifted a pie and grinned mischievously. "OK, ya asked for it, Sheen!" she replied, and threw the pie in Sheen's face.

"Ow!" Sheen cried, falling backward, to the crowd's utter delight.

Libby and Cindy, now thoroughly enjoying themselves, continued chucking pies at the boys, and even Goddard joined in.

As the pies continued to fly, Carl found a second to sample some as it ran down his face. "Mmmm…banana cream!" he gushed. "It's almost as good as Sam's mud pie with real wor—"

A shout from the crowd interrupted the kids in their pie battle. They turned to see Evil Sheen standing near the stage talking enthusiastically. "Whoa! This reminds me of the time Robofiend attacked Ultralord with his mega-fast pie thrower!" He held his hands to his heart. "I _love_ Robofiend!"

Sheen, his face still covered in pie, wiped the food away to stare in horror at his evil clone. His eye began to twitch agitatedly until suddenly he sprang forward to the edge of the stage! "How dare you pledge allegiance to Ultralord's arch nemesis!" he cried, pointing an accusing finger at the clone.

"Sheen!" Libby said quietly but urgently. "You're gonna give us away! If they find out we're not as evil as they are, we'll all be toast!"

But Sheen was too distracted even to notice Libby.

"Ultralord is lame!" Evil Sheen sneered. "Robofiend is way more awesome!"

"What?!" Sheen cried.

"I said," the clone answered, speaking slowly to emphasize his words, "'Ultralord is _laaame_.'"

"I thought that's what I heard!" Sheen replied solemnly. "And so, as Ultralord's faithful ally, I consider it my duty to remove any threat to his greatness! Come up here and show me watcha got, Robo-boy!" He threw some punches in the air while the audience stared.

Libby tried once more to make the boy listen to her. "_Sheen!_"

Evil Sheen stepped forward menacingly. "You don't stand a chance against my fiendish, mechanical moves!" he bragged.

"Oh, yeah?! Wait till you get a load of my Ultralord poking and pinching abilities, Fiend-Fighter!" Sheen retorted.

With that, the audience began standing to its feet in anger. "They're just no-good…_good_ kids pretending to be bad!" one of the men declared. "Let's get those imposters out of here!"

"Yeah, imposters!" Sam agreed. "Yeah!"

For a few terrible seconds, the gang froze as they faced a sea of enraged clones. Then Cindy found her voice.

"Run!"


	13. Yet Another Angry Mob

**I apologize for such a short chapter after the huge wait, but I'm planning on updating with longer ones soon…**

**Also, thanks for the replies! If you want me to keep posting this story, please give me feedback; it encourages me to keep it up. (:**

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**Chapter 12: Yet Another Angry Mob**

Hearts pounding, the entire gang rushed off stage and made a mad dash for the one and only exit. But before they could reach it, the angry crowd cut them off, forcing them to come to a dead halt. With eyes gleaming cruelly, they eyed the kids as they clustered together anxiously.

"We gotcha now, ya lousy kids!" Sam barked. "Yeah!"

Sheen sauntered forward and held up a fist in an attempt to look tough. "Ha! You don't know who you're messin' with!" he proclaimed, but the crowd remained unimpressed.

Cindy raised an eyebrow at Sheen. "You mean the world's first one-man circus?" she muttered tartly.

"You're just jealous because I'm unique!" Sheen shot back.

Ignoring his friends' pointless dialogue, Jimmy faced the angry citizens nervously. "Can't we just settle this diplomatically?" he suggested.

The crowd burst into laughter, not even bothering to reply as they edged closer.

"Jimmy," Sheen told the genius quietly, "I'm guessing they don't like diplomatica-cey."

While the clones continued to surround the kids, Jimmy turned to Goddard. "Goddard, Escape Plan Alpha!" he commanded.

Immediately Goddard rocketed himself into the air and Jimmy snatched one of his back paws. The bewildered crowd stared as Goddard and Jimmy arced right over their heads and landed a few feet away from the door. With their attention locked on Goddard and Jimmy, the rest of the gang took the opportunity to make a run for the exit. Cindy, Libby, and Sheen reached Jimmy without trouble, but, trailing behind them, Carl was quickly encircled in a ring of hostile people! He screamed and cowered down, hiding his face as the crowd moved in closer.

In one smooth move, Goddard extended a robotic arm from his back, stretched it out to Carl, and yanked him into the air by his shirt. Carl kept his eyes covered as he dangled wildly in the air. "Ahh! I want my mommy!" he shrieked. "I want my mommy!"

With a bark, Goddard plopped Carl down beside the rest of the gang. Realizing the world had ceased to spin around him, Carl patted the floor in relief and at last opened his eyes.

"Hurry!" Jimmy cried to his friends.

The gang raced out the door, with the mob right behind them. Overhead, hovercars continued to zip about at insane speeds as their drivers simply laughed at the havoc they caused. Everywhere there was disorder: broken glass and graffiti decorated buildings that had been robbed and vandalized, trash lay where people had carelessly tossed it in the road, and smoking, battered vehicles that citizens had destroyed and then left for the owners to find lined the road. The asteroid, of course, had no moon: only dim starlight casting an eerie shimmer on the ruined city.

As the kids raced along the sidewalk, they came to an alley. Though it was dark and littered with trash, Jimmy dashed eagerly into its shadows. When he reached the next street he made a quick turn back into the alley, his friends following close behind. When the mob reached the street, the gang was already out of sight. Leaning against the back wall of a building, the kids anxiously watched the mob from the shadows of their hiding-place. Not until the citizens ran straight past them down the road could they breathe a sigh of relief.

"We're going to have to find a way through this city," Jimmy informed his friends, "but it's going to be hard to get out of here without running into those people again."

"But, Jimmy," Carl protested fearfully, "I'm allergic to angry mobs!"

"Carl," came Sheen's voice, surprisingly soothing, "just imagine you're with a herd of llamas in South America… and you're sipping lemonade…"

Carl closed his eyes and relaxed. Even Sheen was uncharacteristically calm as he leaned back against the bricks of the building they were hiding beside.

"…and you're wearing a big straw hat…and the sun is shining…and…WAIT!" Sheen jerked forward and his hands flew up dramatically. "NO! It's not possible! _How could you?!_ You…you FORGOT TO WEAR SUNSCREEN!" His voice seemed loud enough to bring the building crashing down on them all—or at least alert every single clone citizen in a five-mile radius of their presence.

Carl popped his eyes open in alarm. "Ahhh!" he cried, as if Sheen's explosive outburst hadn't been enough.

"Sheen, why do you always do that?" Jimmy demanded, studying his friends with a puzzled frown.

Sheen stood twiddling his thumbs. "I don't know."

Libby merely rolled her eyes and shook her head, but Cindy kept a gaze trained on the boys that seemed fiery enough to incinerate them on the spot. Carl shrank back, but Sheen, as usual, remained blissfully ignorant of the fact that he was receiving a death glare.

"Can't we ride Goddard through the city?" Libby offered, changing the subject.

Jimmy paused as his mind carefully considered the possibility. "Goddard can't carry us all high enough—or fast enough—to avoid the citizens effectively."

"OK, Brainiac, then what do we do?" Cindy spoke up.

Jimmy gazed up at the stars thoughtfully. As he watched, a shadow on a hover board zipped along the edge of a roof before dipping back down past the street and into another alley. With a sudden grin, Jimmy turned back to his friends.

"Follow me, guys. I've got an idea."


	14. Downtown Crazy Town

**Thanks for the reviews. ) Not what I'd hoped for, but then again, after being gone so long it's amazing I have any readers. Thanks. Here's another chapter, after that terrible wait I put you through for such a short one last time!****Chapter 13: Downtown Crazy Town**

In the darkness of a nearby alley, Nick's evil clone practiced a few incredibly cool and slightly destructive moves with his hover board. He flipped and twirled in the air, knocking over a trashcan, and smashed into a sign in a nearby window advertising Purple Flurp. The sign clattered to the ground and Nick, unhurt, laughed at the damage he'd caused. Nearby, Butch's clone sat on a hover bike and spray painted a pair of glasses and a French mustache on a poster of the mayor.

"I love defacing private property!" Evil Butch proclaimed gleefully.

Suddenly, a footstep caught the boys' attention and they turned in mid-air. Searching the alley for whatever had caused the sound, Evil Nick's voice took on a bewildered tone. "What? Who's there?"

Out from the shadows stepped a dark figure. "Guys," the form said, attempting to sound ominous, "hand over your hover machines!" Even before the voice grated on their ears, the clones quickly recognized Sheen's lanky frame.

"Oh, yeah?!" Evil Nick snapped. "I'm not giving my hover board to you, Robo-dork!"

"Yeah, you'll have to take 'em from us first!" Butch's clone chimed in.

Sheen's threatening face took on a dramatic, determined expression. "Then taste my wrath, you fiends!" He assumed a sparring stance and threw a few kicks and punches at the air, obviously imagining he looked far more terrifying than he actually did.

The other boys simply stared at him, clearly unimpressed. "Uh…that's your wrath?"

But at that moment, a battle cry pierced the air and a shadow dropped off the roof and onto the hover board, right behind Nick! With one swift move, Cindy threw Nick into the air and sent him flying into Butch. They both toppled over and fell straight into an open dumpster.

"Ow!" Evil Butch cried, running his thick fingers over his forehead in pain.

Sheen grinned victoriously at them. "No, _that_ was my wrath."

As Jimmy jumped off the roof onto Butch's hover bike, Libby and Carl ran out excitedly from behind a building.

"Good work, guys," the genius commended them.

"I think helping you and Cindy climb onto the roof strained my scapula," Carl declared, rubbing his back.

"Carl, you can't _strain _your scapula!" Jimmy exclaimed impatiently.

Cindy rolled her eyes and cut in. "Forget your scapula, Carl! We have to get out of here before that mob finds us!"

"I get the hover board!" Sheen shouted. Leaping onto it, he shook it around violently and almost caused Cindy, still perched atop it, to lose her balance. "Make room for Libbs, Cindy!" he cried, and without any ceremony, swept Cindy off her feet and threw her to the ground. Then he turned to Libby with a smile and gallantly offered his hand to help her up.

Libby stepped onto the hover board and sternly placed a hand on her hip. "Uh, Sheen, could you _not _throw my girl around?"

Sheen merely beamed back at her. "Sure thing, Cupcake!"

With a rigid frown, Cindy got to her feet angrily and scrambled onto the hover cycle behind Jimmy. As she grabbed onto him, she dug her fingers in painfully.

"Ow! _Cindy!_" Jimmy complained.

Cindy loosened her grasp a little, but her mood was still black after being thrown off a hover board.

With Carl too afraid to climb onto him, Goddard was forced to snatch Carl up by the back of the shirt again. As he rocketed himself off the ground and prepared to follow his master through the maze of city streets and alleys, Jimmy revved up his machine and turned back to his friends with a smile.

"OK, guys, follow me."

Jimmy led his friends through the maze of shadowy alleys toward the open "roads" surrounding the huge skyscrapers. He sped through the air effortlessly, but, behind him, Goddard struggled with the yelling load dangling from his mouth. Last of all were Sheen and Libby, fighting over how to maneuver the hover board. Sheen, thoroughly enjoying himself, twisted and jerked it about at a crazy speed while a nervous, slightly sickened Libby attempted to maintain control.

"Hey, look, Jimmy;" Sheen called to his friend, "I can flip upside down!"

Libby glared at him threateningly. "Oh, no, ya don't!"

"Uh…never mind," Sheen said sheepishly.

Meanwhile, swinging uncomfortably in Goddard's grasp, Carl kept his eyes covered as he nervously questioned Jimmy. "Hey, Jim, we're not going far, are we?"

"Don't worry, Carl," the genius reassured him. "We'll just search for Betty while we exit the city and find a place to camp. Even if we do find Betty tonight, Sheen has to get ready to fight Yoo-Yee."

"And _that_ will take a while," Cindy muttered dryly behind him.

At that moment Jimmy came to the end of an alley leading to the main "roadways" and paused for a moment to take in the sight of the city. In the darkness, every light in the futuristic city glowed vibrantly, illuminating a metropolis still pulsing with life. Huge skyscrapers flashed with animated advertisements for lab kits and lessons in karate, collector's edition action figures and classic musical hits, llamas and lifetime supplies of chocolate. Without the aid of traffic lights, all sorts of hovering machines weaved paths around slender towers and through the steady flow of traffic. Below them, parked hovercars rested on the wide, concrete streets. Even though the asteroid city was in chaos, with citizens shouting, stealing, vandalizing, and smashing into one another's vehicles everywhere the gang looked, it was still an awe-inspiring sight.

Drinking it all in with eager eyes, Jimmy finally turned back to his friends. "If I can just get everyone to accept my inventions, this is what Retroville itself will look like in a couple years," he announced proudly.

"What are you talking about? With all the times you've nearly destroyed our city, it'd only take you a few minutes to make it look like Nutcase Utopia here!" Cindy countered.

Immediately, Jimmy turned in his seat to face her. "Hey, don't yell at me, Vortex! _You're_ the one who got us in trouble this time!"

Cindy's eyes flashed and she raised her voice to a harsh shout. "Oh, yeah?! _You're_ the one who created the evil clone that made this crazy town!"

"Even if I hadn't, we'd _still _be rescuing Betty because YOU got her kidnapped!" Jimmy fairly yelled.

"I did not! She was the one who was stupid enough to go with the ninjas!"

"Betty is not stupid!"

This time, Cindy simply crossed her arms and grinned spitefully. "No," she responded in a softer tone, "she's just a little slow."

Standing beside Sheen with her arms crossed, Libby lost her patience at last and threw her arms in the air. "That's it! If we're gonna rescue Betty, then you guys are gonna have to figure out how to stop fightin' every ten seconds!"

Jimmy and Cindy closed their mouths, but glared at each other without giving any sign of trying to be friendly.

"That's good enough. Now let's go!" Libby ordered.

Wordlessly, Jimmy veered out of the alley and zipped over a few parked hovercars as he flew through the city. He continued to study his surroundings in wonder, but none of his friends were enjoying it anymore. Hovercars raced around them, the air whipped through their hair, and the height at which they were soaring was dizzying. A nauseous Carl closed his eyes, Sheen was losing control of the hover board and nearly sending Libby over the edge, and Cindy still maintained a death grip on poor Jimmy while she scowled at the passing vehicles. When one hovercar nearly smashed right into him, even Jimmy stopped staring in awe and focused all his energy into dodging traffic. After all, this wasn't ordinary traffic. Here, every driver's goal wasn't to avoid a crash, but to cause one.


	15. Oncoming Traffic

**Thanks for the reviews. Here we go, another chapter! Hope ya like. As always, please read and review, even if you don't like it. Just don't flame. I'd like constructive criticism so I can learn from my mistakes.**

**Chapter 14: Oncoming Traffic**

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In the midst of the raging traffic, Jimmy and the gang continued to dodge hovercars that flew too close. Up and down, left and right, they zipped through the swarm of crazed drivers as fast as they could go. Jimmy piloted his machine with ease, but Sheen still jerked his hover board around recklessly.

"This is just like _Ultralord_ _and the Revenge of the Vorrgebots_!" he proclaimed.

"Watch out!" Libby cried, staring in horror at an oncoming hovercar.

Jimmy swerved around the machine just in time, with Sheen and Goddard on his trail. Just as Libby caught her breath in relief, she noticed another hovercar directly ahead, plowing toward them at an outrageous speed! This time Jimmy dropped straight down and sped right under it, and again his friends followed.

Carl, his eyes still covered, moaned as he was jerked about recklessly. "I don't like speeding through dangerous traffic!"

"Oh, come on, Carl!" Sheen exclaimed as he nearly slammed right into a passing hover cycle. "This is almost as fun as the time we switched Principal Willoughby's exercise tapewith_ The Thirteenth Sense_!" He grinned mischievously at the memory of their principal shrieking in terror at the horror film, prancing about his office, and finally remembering he had the ability to turn off his television with the press of a button. That had definitely been one of Sheen's finer pranks… Even if it had come with the heavy price tag of two weeks' worth of detention.

Carl's frantic voice broke in at that moment, pulling Sheen from his reverie. "I didn't do it; I DIDN'T DO IT!" the poor redhead shouted in denial. "…Well, it _was_ your idea," he ended softly.

Unfazed by Carl's outburst, Sheen's mind quickly jumped to a completely unrelated topic. "Hey, Jimmy, wanna watch me spin around?" he asked eagerly.

Hands taut on the handlebars of his hover bike and jaw set in determination, Jimmy was so focused on dodging traffic his mind almost didn't register what Sheen had said. "Sheen," he replied with forced patience, "I'm kinda busy dodging crazed drivers right now!"

Libby turned to Sheen angrily. "Keep your eyes on the traffic or we ain't gettin' outta here!" she reminded him.

Sheen grinned sheepishly and seemed about to apologize when a hovercar smashed into Jimmy's bike and sent its riders tumbling off the seat. Now dead weight, the bike plummeted to the ground far below, and Jimmy and Cindy found themselves following it!

For several terrible moments Libby could only stare after her friends' forms as they dropped through the air. Over the din of the whirring and honking machines, the pair's screams fell faint 

on her ears. The expanse of air below them was dizzying: in fact, Libby couldn't even detect the street from this height.

Then, all at once, her voice returned. "Sheen!" she shouted. "We gotta help them!"

"I'm on it!" He tilted the hover board at a precarious angle while avoiding a hovercar, and Libby struggled to keep from toppling over the edge. As he jolted the hover board around, he threw his head back to practice his imitation of maniacal laughter until Libby interrupted his fun with a furious look.

"_Sheen! _Our goal is to save Jimmy and Cindy, remember?" she snapped, looking angry enough to break him in two.

"Actually," Sheen answered casually, "my goals are to meet Ultralord and spend all my time doing activities of no educational value whatsoever! But I'll save Jimmy first." He dipped the hover board downward in an attempt to follow after Jimmy and Cindy, but it was hard to do so when they had already disappeared into the maze of traffic far below. Not to mention when Sheen's wild movements had the hover board flying out of control.

"You know," he commented after a while, "this would be a lot easier if I wasn't having a sugar rush from those pies right now."

If she weren't working so hard to maintain her balance on the hover board, Libby could have smacked a hand to her forehead in her exasperation. Then, all of a sudden, inspiration hit her. She turned to Sheen with a devious grin and let a triumphant note enter her voice. "Hey, Sheen. What happened to bein' afraid o' heights?"

Immediately Sheen glanced down and seemed to calculate the distance to the ground with his wide eyes. "Oh, yeah," he muttered, then grabbed Libby's shoulders in a frenzy of terror. "GET ME OUTTA HERE, LIBBY!" he fairly screamed in her ear.

The girl shoved him away firmly. "Sheen, relax!" she ordered, letting him collapse onto the hover board and cling to it for dear life. With that, she turned her attention to guiding the hover board calmly and safely through the traffic. "_Now _we're gonna find Jimmy and Cindy!" she said determinedly.

As the wind whipped through their hair and the ground drew ever closer, Jimmy and Cindy plunged past dozens of other hovercars, but there didn't seem to be anything to save them from their fall. Their screams had been cut off long ago when the wind and their sheer panic had stolen their breath away. Now they found themselves staring down the lengths of immense skyscrapers all the way to their bases, which they could hardly see from this altitude. The hovercars moving hundreds of feet below them were mere specks of motion. Lights from the hover machines and buildings all glared at them and blurred into a collage of neon colors before their eyes. On the skyscraper directly ahead of them, an advertisement flashed the question: _Need a Lift? _Yet, even as Jimmy took in all of their surroundings, his brain was working rapidly. Turning to the falling girl beside him, he extended his arm. "Cindy! Grab my hand!" he shouted.

Cindy managed to tear her wide eyes from the ground and reach for the boy's hand, just out of her grasp. Stretching his arm as far as he could, Jimmy's fingers just met hers and tightened around them. With his other hand he reached into his pocket and struggled to draw something from it. After what felt like an eternity to Cindy, the genius succeeded in sliding it out: the Quantum Replay. He pointed it down at the retreating form of the hover bike and punched the button he needed. Immediately the bike reversed motion in mid-air and was sucked back up toward them. Jimmy stopped it just below him, smashing onto the seat with a painful thud and yanking Cindy after him. He hastily steered the bike out of the line of traffic and began driving out of the heart of the city. As they reached safety at last, he noticed that in front of him, Cindy was still holding the hover bike in a death grip and trying to catch her breath. Hair that had slipped from her ponytail straggled down wildly in her face while her eyes betrayed her fear. It was strange seeing her so vulnerable. This wasn't the first time he'd saved her life, either; but it was only now that he realized how indebted she was to him. If it weren't for the fact that they were still in danger, his swelling pride would have spurred him to rub it all in her face.

As usual, it was Cindy who found her voice first. "Neutron, only _you_ would be crazy enough to try controlling time and space!" she snapped, though she couldn't quite keep the quiver of fear out of her voice. As much as she'd tried to sound angry, Jimmy could tell that, even if she was pretending not to, she was complimenting him. His earlier desire to come up with a searing insult instantly faded away. Just the thought that, for once, he'd earned _some_ respect from her flooded him with contentment. Truth was, Cindy's approval had always made him feel far more important than Betty's ever had, though he didn't know why. But he couldn't enjoy the feeling for long. He had to concentrate on finding his friends…and getting them out of this insane city.

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	16. Preparing the Chosen One

**Chapter 15: Preparing the Chosen One**

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Jimmy guided the hover bike through the darkness of the alleyways and back routes toward the outskirts of the city. Here the sounds of blaring horns and ear-shattering collisions soon grew faint and was replaced by the humming of an occasional lighted sign advertising various futuristic-looking products. As he wound his way through the shadows Jimmy gripped the handlebars extra tightly in order to keep from losing his hold, and in order to make sure that if Cindy slid, he could break her fall with his arms.

From her spot up front, Cindy clung to the seat with all her might, willing the frantic pounding of her heart against her ribcage to cease. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and let the cool air beat against her face. As she drew in a deep breath in order to recover herself, she tried to keep from shuddering. She feared Jimmy would notice if she trembled, and she didn't dare let him know how scared she'd been.

Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, a shadow fell over her and she jerked her eyes open. She stared up at the night sky as several dark shapes whooshed overhead. "Jimmy!" she cried anxiously, instinctively shrinking back toward the boy genius.

Peering up at the sky, Jimmy slowed to a stop as the figures descended toward them. To his relief, as the shadows approached they transformed into Libby and Sheen on the hover board and Carl dangling from Goddard's mouth.

"Jimmy! Cindy! Oh, boy, we thought you guys were pancakes for sure!" Sheen exclaimed. At his side, Libby rolled her eyes as if thinking, _If they were, it would be _your _fault! _

"Can I open my eyes now?" Carl wondered.

"Yes, Carl," Jimmy replied as patiently as he could.

Carl cautiously removed a hand from one eye and peeked out at his friends. "Ahh! We're still up in the air!" he cried.

Jimmy didn't even try to moderate his tone this time. "_Carl_, you're _three feet_ off the ground!"

"But I'm allergic to heights!" Carl protested. He appeared ready to faint, causing Cindy to roll her eyes.

With a shake of her head, Libby turned her attention to Cindy and Jimmy. "We were so worried! How did ya get back on the hover bike?!"

Jimmy grinned and spoke with feigned modesty. "Oh, it was nothing! I just used the Quantum Replay to pull the bike toward us in mid-air and then maneuvered it out of traffic."

A few feet away, Goddard landed on the ground, releasing his cargo at last. A relieved Carl brushed himself off and turned to his friend in awe. "Wow, Jim, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, that _is_ pretty cool," Libby agreed.

Furious to find her rival basking in her friends' praise, Cindy wasted no time breaking in. "Oh, _please_, like tampering with the laws of physics _ever_ was a good idea!" she nearly growled.

Jimmy threw Cindy a smug grin. "You thought it was a good idea when it saved you from falling to your death!"

"And I bet ya thought it was a good idea when he saved your life an' swept ya away on the hover bike!" Libby teased.

Cindy gave her friend a stubborn frown. "I did not! I could've figured out a better way to get out of that than Nerdtron!" she insisted.

"Why don't we just find out right now then, Dorktex?" Jimmy asked slyly, causing Cindy to only frown the more.

"Guys," Libby interrupted the oncoming argument matter-of-factly, "shouldn't we get outta this city before another mob or more crazy drivers start chasin' us?"

Sheen, in the middle of performing a precarious headstand on the hover board, plopped down and yanked himself to his feet. "Good idea, my angel of music!" he gushed, leaning close to Libby. He paused, then muttered thoughtfully, "Although experiencing road rage from a victim's point of view is pretty interesting…"

Sheen received a few blank stares before the kids prepared to set off again. With a sigh, Carl let Goddard lift him up in the air once more while the rest of the gang followed on their hover machines. Only a few moments more took them out of the city's reaches and into the barren stretch of land where Jimmy had parked their space car earlier. Landing beside it, they hopped off their hover machines and started making camp.

"OK, guys," Jimmy announced, "tomorrow we find Betty and Evil Jimmy…and things could get ugly."

"But, Jimmy, battling evil ninjas gives me indigestion!" Carl declared.

"That's OK, Carl," the genius reassured him. "You won't be fighting them. I was just going to say that in case Sheen has to battle Yoo-Yee again, he's gonna have to learn as much about karate as he can tonight."

Sheen's face glowed with the thought. "Man, this is gonna be awesome! Ninjas, beware of the Chosen One!" He punched the air near Carl, causing the boy to scream and jump at least three feet into the air. But Sheen's laughter was cut off as a new idea popped into his head. "Hey, Carl," he said eagerly, "watch me grab a pebble out of your hand _now_!"

Recovering his dignity, Carl picked up a pebble and held it out to Sheen. Sheen stepped toward him with a cocky grin and a wink in Libby's direction. Yet, as soon as Sheen started to reach for the pebble, Carl closed his hand effortlessly and giggled. Sheen made another valiant effort, but was once again outdone by his friend.

"_Carl_," Sheen whined in frustration, "cut it out!"

"We're hopeless!" Libby groaned, leaning her head in her hand and averting her eyes from Sheen's pathetic attempts.

"No, we're not!" Jimmy broke in eagerly. "With some simple mathematic calculations I figured the positions that will give Sheen's kicks the most forceful trajectory, as well as the angles he should use to have the most powerful punches. But, most importantly, I know how to actually _train _Sheen to use all those moves!"

Cindy's face was almost sourer than her voice. "Forget it, Nerdbomb!" she barked. "Let a _real_ karate expert show him how it's done!"

Jimmy seemed about to snap back at Cindy when his, Libby's, and Cindy's attention was diverted back to Sheen and Carl. Sheen was still attempting—and failing—to snatch the pebble out of Carl's hand.

"Hey! I'll get you for that!" Sheen started chasing Carl, who fled from Sheen for dear life.

Turning back to Cindy, Jimmy suddenly surrendered his coaching duty to her with a mischievous grin. "Have fun, Vortex," he smirked. He headed over to where Goddard sat observing the goings-on and plopped down on his sleeping bag with a self-satisfied air.

Cindy took a step toward Sheen with a no-nonsense expression that would have motivated anyone to get moving. "OK, Ultrafreak, let's just get this over with!"

Frustrated by his lack of success with the pebble snatching, Sheen stopped chasing Carl and approached Cindy hopefully.

"_This _is how you punch," she informed Sheen. With one fluid motion, she drew her hand back to her hip and then twisted it as she released her punch. When her fist stopped mere inches away from Carl's nose, he screamed and ducked, covering his head in fear.

"Ah! Make it stop!" Carl cried, but no one paid any attention to his sufferings.

"And this is how you do a roundhouse kick," Cindy continued. This time she whipped her leg out into the air, pivoting on the ground and letting her foot stop just short of Carl's back. Again, Carl shrank away in fear.

"Uh, Cindy," he asked hesitantly, "when you're teaching Sheen how to fight, could you do it…less dangerously? You almost hit my scapula." He rubbed his back as if he could feel the damage that had almost been inflicted.

"_Carl!_ How can you let a _girl_ scare you?" Sheen reprimanded. "Where's your manhood?!"

Still focused on nothing but the art of Tae Kwon Do, Cindy rocked on one foot to give herself momentum, lunged forward with one leg in the air, snapped a kick with her other leg, and landed in a sparring pose in front of Sheen. Immediately, the boy recoiled in fear and dashed behind Libby. She glared at him and received a sheepish grin in return.

"Well, _that _was sure manly," Libby observed.

"Even the manliest manly men have to take breaks sometimes!" Sheen excused himself.

Cindy crossed her arms impatiently. "Look, Ultra-dork, do you want to learn how to fight or not?"

"_Learn _to fight?!" he repeated. "I'm the Chosen One! I'm undefeated in battle!" He stepped toward Cindy and then glanced over his shoulder at Libby. "Check this out, Libbs! No one messes with the Chosen One!"

He promptly jumped into the air and performed a perfectly executed flying kick! Libby and Cindy stared in amazement…until Sheen crashed to the ground in a heap.

Libby cringed before looking over at her wide-eyed friend. "This is gonna take a while," she muttered.

* * *

For one long hour Cindy worked hard to coach Sheen, but his lack of hand-eye coordination and short attention span continued to hamper any progress. He just couldn't concentrate on anything Cindy said or did for more than a few moments. It was all she could do to cling to her last remnant of patience, even with Libby's help.

"Now, when you kick…" Cindy began to instruct the boy, but the rest of her words fell on deaf ears. Once again, Sheen had paused in the middle of his training to stare at something else.

"Cool, look at that!" He pointed at a section of the night sky, forcing Cindy to halt her demonstration of a roundhouse kick for the tenth time and glare at him.

"Stop staring at constellations and kick!" she demanded.

Sheen aimed a kick for Cindy, who easily blocked it, knocking him over onto his back in the process. Finding himself staring up at stars, he spoke again. "But, Cindy, those stars remind me of…"

"Ultralord?" Libby finished for him.

"No, George Washington!" Sheen responded.

Her curiosity aroused, Libby glanced up at the cluster of stars Sheen was staring at. "Actually, if ya look at 'em right, they look more like a monkey," she commented thoughtfully.

"George Washington!" Sheen corrected.

Standing off on the sidelines, Carl spoke up in wonder. "George Washington is a monkey?"

"No, the stars are a monkey!" Libby answered, gesturing to the sky.

A realization dawned on Carl. "Hey, I'm allergic to monkeys!"

"I love monkeys!" Sheen proclaimed, still lying on his back.

"FORGET THE MONKEYS!" Cindy almost shouted, bristling with rage.

"But the Atomic Monkey Special Forces Squad recruits expert fighters!" Sheen protested. "Colonel McSwain and his monkey troops could help us battle Yoo-Yee!"

Cindy spun away from Sheen furiously. "OK, forget it! You're done training!" She stomped over to her sleeping bag and plopped down on it with an angry thud. Stretched out on his own sleeping bag with his arms behind his head and Goddard curled up beside him, Jimmy continued to observe the whole proceeding with a grin.

"Give up, Vortex?"

"_No!_" After a pause, she calmed down a little and looked over at him. "How were _you_ going to train him, anyway?"

Jimmy shrugged casually. "Oh, with a simple technique, really…" He patted Goddard's head and gazed up at the stars as if he didn't plan on actually explaining it.

Cindy promptly fell for his bait. "_How?_" she persisted.

With a triumphant smile, Jimmy turned back to Goddard, who popped open his screen. It displayed none other than Ultralord himself effortlessly kicking, punching, and blocking Robofiend in heated combat. If it were possible, Jimmy's smile only grew. "You just have to know how to get Sheen's attention," he explained, "and the rest is easy."


	17. Lost in the Night

**Here ya are, guys: another chapter. Thanks for the reviews. I figured I'd actually start replying to them. XD I'll keep things nice and simple and post my replies to you at the beginning of each chapter. **

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**Pumpernickel Muffin—Hehe, true… But POTO rocks, and it seemed like something Sheen would say. **

**acosta perez jose ramiro—Thanks! Yes, Cindy is definitely more qualified, but since Sheen IS the Chosen One, the gang is kind of dependent on him… **

**noukinav018—Thanks; glad ya like it!**

**firepearl—Oh, thank you! It's great to know I get reactions like that from my readers. Humor is an important element in JN fanfiction, IMO. )**

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**Chapter 16: Lost in the Night**

Needless to say, Sheen rushed over to Goddard as soon as he heard Ultralord's voice and stared in awe at the screen. "_Ultralord!_ Jimmy, you've saved my life!"

"But Sheen," Jimmy interrupted, "I don't want you to just sit and watch Ultralord. I want you to copy every move he makes exactly so you can fight Yoo-Yee."

Sheen stopped halfway into a sitting position, stared at the genius for a moment, and then fell over backward. "You mean…you want me to _be _Ultralord?!" he cried, ecstatic. "That's my lifelong dream!"

"Oh, boy…" Libby muttered.

"Well, sort of…" Jimmy hesitated.

"Yes!" Sheen plopped down in front of Goddard's screen and began drinking in everything Ultralord did or said with wide, eager eyes.

Libby studied Sheen a moment and then turned to his friend in concern. "Ya know, Jimmy, this might not be the best idea."

"This is the only way Sheen will learn anything!" Jimmy protested.

"Yeah, now he's going to go around acting like a spastic, mini-Ultralord!" Cindy put in dryly.

"Hey, at least he'll be able to spar with Yoo-Yee," Jimmy pointed out. "We just need him to survive a fight long enough for us to rescue Betty and get out of there. He'll be our distraction."

"Well, if ya put it that way," Libby mused, "I guess he'll make a pretty good distraction…But what if he gets creamed?!"

"Don't worry, Libby." Jimmy turned his head to glare at Cindy. "The _only _reason I brought Cindy was to make sure someone helped Sheen so he wouldn't get hurt."

Cindy responded by rolling her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause Mr. Know-It-All himself never needs any help!"

"No, I just don't need any help from _you_!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Cindy leaned forward and raised her voice to a shout. "Well, what about the time I kept the world from being destroyed by a meteor when you were a drooling idiot?! Or the time I rescued you from Grandma Taters and her army of happy zombies?! _Or_ the time I saved your sorry orange butt when the army was about to take you out for destroying Retroville?!"

"Well, those incidents are kinda overshadowed by all the times you've gotten us _into _trouble!" Jimmy shot back. "Like the time you sent Betty into another dimension, or the time you crashed my ship on Mars, or _right now_, when we're in danger after _you_ got Betty kidnapped by Yoo-Yee!"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, it was!" Jimmy snapped. "_You _used the Mood Alternator on her!"

"Ugh! Just because Betty doesn't like you anymore doesn't mean she'll listen to every crazy ninja on the street!" Cindy exclaimed.

"Well, it _did _make her listen to one!"

Seeing no end in sight to their argument, Libby decided it was time to step in. "_Guys_, stop fightin'!"

"Yeah," Sheen agreed from where he sat staring at Goddard's screen, "I'm trying to watch Ultralord!"

Frowning, Jimmy lay back on his sleeping bag and announced loudly, "I'm going to bed!"

Cindy stood to her feet and threw him an irritated look. "Good!"

"Fine!"

"Whatever!" Crossing her arms, Cindy marched off angrily. Just outside their camp, she plopped down on a rock to glare out over the asteroid's bare landscape by herself.

Libby hesitated a moment, and then followed after her. Standing behind her friend in the dim starlight, she placed a hand on her hip and spoke half-gently, half-sternly.

"Girl, we need to talk."

* * *

A lone shaft of silver light poured in through the small window open to the sky, relieving the thick blackness with its splash of color. The glow reflected on the smooth, polished wood floor of the spacious room and afforded just the faintest glimpses of thick pillars extending to the ceiling. Overhead, through that square window cut in the ceiling, nothing was visible but a lone tree branch stretching against the sky, sparkling with a million stars. Everything was still and quiet and eerily unfamiliar.

Blinking her eyes in an attempt to accustom herself to the dimness, Betty slowly sat up. She ran a palm along the cold hard surface of the floor as if to bring memory back into her muddled brain, but nothing came. She had no recollection of entering this room; no previous knowledge of even where on the planet she could be. It was hard enough for her mind to process exactly where she was _supposed _to be or even who she really was. At the moment, groping through her head to find the facts felt as hopeless as trying to grope through this dark room and find her way through.

With a despairing sigh, she leaned her back against the wall behind her and stared up at the stars. A chill breeze sifted through the leaves on the branch above and washed over her. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she tucked the skirt of her dress closely around her body and hugged herself against the cold.

Wait. She'd done this before. Betty found herself unconsciously holding her breath as the memories all hit her like a tidal wave. The helicopter ride, the hasty transfer to a space craft, and the landing on the asteroid. Then there'd been a weaving, fast-paced journey on a hover machine through the city, in which Betty had been set in a back seat to hug her knees to her chin and shiver in the wind. She'd been brought here, to one of the long, low buildings within a city that looked like it had sprang up right out of Medieval Japan—and all in the hopes of spiting Jimmy Neutron.

The very thought of Jimmy sent a shudder through her whole frame, but at the same time it wracked her brain with confusion. Never had she found her emotions to be so…so _illogical. _Since when had she felt such a passionate hatred toward all of Jimmy's attentions? When had his very name ever brought a grimace of disgust to her face? As much as she couldn't stand to think about him, something in the back of her mind was nagging at her. Hadn't there been a time when she had found that she enjoyed his attention? Something didn't make sense, but her brain refused to process thoughts clearly; all that was lucid at the moment was raw emotion. She despised Jimmy Neutron, and she was here to do exactly the opposite of his wishes; because the very idea of doing anything remotely related to him or his interests was unbearable.

Faint footsteps brought Betty to herself. She shook off her confusion and pulled herself to her feet, almost instinctively straightening her dress and smoothing back her hair. Despite her notion that these ninjas were her friends, a faint warning in her mind compelled her to recede into the shadows and wait. The footfalls stopped in the passage right outside the entryway to the room, giving Betty one last moment to doubt before a figure stepped into the room.

"YOU!" Betty cried, her usually gentle face hardening in a frown. She pressed forward into the patch of starlight and stared at the form standing on its edge. "Don't you have something better to do than ruin my life?!"

The figure waved her words off carelessly and took a further step into the light. "Look, if you're thinkin' I'm Whippy-Dip Genius Boy, you got it all wrong," it said. "I'm his evil clone." Evil Jimmy let a mischievous grin slither across his face as Betty searched it with a puzzled expression.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked after a few seconds, still suspicious.

"To hurt Neutron; whaddaya think?!" Evil Jimmy shot back. "Listen, kid," he continued after a pause, "I hate him as much as you do. So I'm thinkin' you and me…we could really do some damage."

"I wasn't here to hurt him," Betty responded. "I don't even want to go near him!"

Evil Jimmy shook his head in annoyance and stepped forward again, pacing in a full circle around Betty as he spoke. "You came here to learn to fight, right?"

"I came here because Jimmy told me not to," Betty smirked.

"So you were just gonna sit around here and not do anything?!" Evil Jimmy's temper was clearly rising. Suddenly, he spun around to glare up at the girl as a new idea came to him. "He's comin' here to rescue you, ya know. You can't avoid meetin' him again, but you can take care of him for good."

Betty's smooth forehead creased in agitation. "He's coming _here_?"

"If ya learn how to fight, you can beat him an' his lousy friends to next week!"

"I think I'd rather go home," Betty returned with a frown.

Evil Jimmy gave her a bone-chilling stare. "Either ya cooperate an' help me take care of Neutron, or you'll regret it."

Betty bit her lip and once again tried to think things through. Jimmy. _Ugh. Not _Jimmy. And his friends? She couldn't bear the thought of them either. Sheen had never been on her good side, anyway, and Carl had always been rather below her notice. He'd never paid any attention to her, and she'd never paid any to him. They shared nothing in common and she preferred it that way. He wasn't exactly the most sought-after kid in school, after all. Libby? Jimmy wasn't particularly close to her, but she was very close to someone Betty positively abhorred: Cindy.

Now there was a thought. Betty had a vague impression that she and Cindy hadn't exactly gotten along even when she'd somehow enjoyed hanging around Jimmy. Recollections of jealous glances and angry words flashed through her brain in quick succession, finally helping her get a grip on her past relationship with the girl. She had overlooked the biting comments and hate-filled looks and focused mainly on Jimmy, but it had been impossible to be completely ignorant. Betty had always known she was a cause of pain to Cindy, and somewhere deep down she'd felt a pang of guilt over it all. Though she kept it carefully tucked away due to Cindy's obvious dislike, Betty had even admired the girl's courage and wit as much as she had despised the fact that Cindy didn't look up to her as all the other girls did. It had only been recently that Betty had at last caved in and realized the way she had been disregarding Cindy's feelings had been as cruel as the hatred Cindy had obviously been harboring.

There had been a constant tug of war between Betty's kind nature and that human plague, selfishness. After all, Betty loved being noticed, appreciated, and admired as much as anyone else; and Jimmy had always noticed her in a way she just couldn't ignore. But in the process of enjoying herself she'd completely ignored Cindy's hurt, a fact she'd later regretted.

Yet now, whatever the past had been, all those regrets were dwarfed by the growing disgust she held toward Cindy. It wasn't merely the fact that Betty couldn't stand anything or anyone close to Jimmy; it was also the faint remembrance that somehow Cindy was the key to all of this. All of her current confusion and uncertainty was because of her—although exactly how Cindy had caused this Betty couldn't figure out.

With another thoughtful look at Evil Jimmy, Betty realized that her desire for revenge and hope to become herself again outweighed her disgust of meeting Cindy again. Perhaps she could avoid Jimmy in the process, but Cindy…Cindy she had to take care of.

"Hello!" Jimmy's clone interrupted loudly. "Are ya listenin'?!"

Betty snapped back to the present and stared back into Evil Jimmy's burning eyes. A quiver of fear ran through her at the idea of attempting, with only a few short training sessions, to master a girl who'd already earned a black belt. But the mixture of strong emotions she felt and the terror of the threat in the evil clone's eyes proved too powerful to ignore. "I…I'll learn to fight," she stammered.

"Good," Evil Jimmy answered as he began striding complacently from the room. "I'll tell your new master an' he'll start trainin' you right away." His figure was masked once more in shadow as he headed toward the door, and his footsteps soon faded away into nothingness.

Immediately after the clone left, Betty crumpled to the floor and dropped her head in her hands. She was afraid of this place and longed for somewhere safe and familiar. The miserable truth was that she hardly knew what she was doing anymore, and the assorted feelings coursing through her being came at a rate too rapid to control or even fully comprehend. Rage, sorrow, terror, despair, satisfaction, and uncertainty all vied for control in her heart. Her mind was too foggy to even bother to think anymore or wonder much about the future. Overwhelmed, she clung to the one light she could see: her hope for revenge and an opportunity to set things right again.

With the starlight framing her lonely figure, Betty brushed away the glistening tears that had dropped from her eyes and prepared for her one chance at normalcy.


	18. The Libby Lecture

**Again, thanks so much for the reviews! You guys rock. **

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**hero67—Glad ya like! Thanks for the fav. **

**Pumpernickel Muffin—Thanks, glad you liked that part. Betty is a bit more complicated to write, since the show doesn't give us too much info about her, really. You're right; I really should add some more of her POV later on in the fic.**

**firepearl—So glad you liked my part with Betty. I felt after all of Cindy's abuse to her she needed a voice in this fic, too.**

**mrmuscle—Thank you!**

**acosta perez jose ramiro—I'm glad you thought so! I tried to delve into her character and really paint a clear picture for my readers. It's nice to know I succeeded. Psh, yes, Jimmy obviously did! Poor Cindy. ):**

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**Chapter 17: The "Libby Lecture"**

_Girl, we need to talk. _The words dropped like a bombshell exploding in the still air. A little alarm seemed to blare in Cindy's brain: _Warning: Libby Lecture set to commence in 10…9…8…_

In no mood to listen to her friend, Cindy spun around to gaze through the darkness at Libby's stern face. But before she could say anything, Libby spoke again.

"I _still_ can't believe ya did that to Betty," she began firmly, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?" Cindy demanded, her forehead wrinkled in a frown. How could her own best friend actually side with Betty?

"What do I _mean_?!" Libby repeated, as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Girl, ya can't just go around zappin' people with Jimmy's inventions!" She glanced back at Jimmy and suddenly softened her voice. "I know what you were tryin' to do, but it didn't work. That's not how you're gonna get Jimmy's attention."

Now it was Cindy's turn to raise her voice. "What?!" she burst out. "Who said I wanted Nerdbomb to notice me? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard in my life! Maybe I was just sick of him drooling over Miss Hot Pants all the time!"

Libby looked skeptical, as usual, but didn't try to argue. "Well, whatever the reason, ya gotta let Jimmy switch Betty back to her old self, Cindy!"

Her eyes flashing, Cindy balled her hand into a determined fist. "No way! Then she'll have Spewtron slobbering all over her again!" Realizing what she'd just implied, she quickly caught herself. "Not that I'm jealous or anything…"

"When are you gonna stop pretendin'?" Libby sighed. Frustrated, she looked up to study the stars. They dotted every patch of the night sky but one, where a mound of grey clouds was gathering. "Ya know, the only one you're foolin' is Jimmy." She glanced at Cindy pointedly.

Even in the shadows, the fear that washed over Cindy's face was still caught by her friend. But it was gone almost before Libby could recognize it and replaced with Cindy's usual hard expression. "Who says I'm pretending anything?!" she exclaimed.

Libby rolled her eyes. "Whatever ya say." She paused, becoming serious again. "But _I_ think you did the opposite of what you were tryin' to do! You only got Jimmy mad at you. And now ya gotta switch Betty back."

"I can't!" However firm Cindy had attempted to make her voice, it still held a hint of fear that wasn't lost on Libby.

"Because you think your chances with Jimmy'll be gone?" Libby guessed. "Trust me, girl, he might be too shy to show it all the time, but he likes you _way_ more than Betty."

"Yeah, right!" With a scowl, Cindy crossed her arms and let bitterness fill her voice. "It's obvious he's crazy about Betty and couldn't care less if I was abducted by the Yolkians and sacrificed to their god Poultra!" She glared up at the sky, where the mass of clouds was spreading, swallowing the stars and deepening the blackness. "And it's not like I _want_ him to like me, anyway!" she finished defiantly, glancing sharply at Libby.

Libby shook her head. Cindy just didn't see what she did, nor was she about to give in and admit the obvious. It was no use to keep on insisting when Cindy refused to listen. So she decided to try a new tactic.

"Even if you're right, you know ya can't stop Jimmy from gettin' Betty back to normal. You gotta do the right thing," she argued.

Libby expected another staunch objection from her friend, but, to her surprise, she realized Cindy's will was snapping. The girl was gazing back at her desperately, perhaps because she knew Libby was right.

"But…but…you don't get it!" Cindy stammered. "I can't _stand_ seeing him and Betty together! It…it makes me sick!" As her eyes pleaded with her friend, they betrayed everything—even what she didn't dare confess out loud.

Libby's heart overflowed with sympathy. She hated to see her friend hurt, but she also knew that she couldn't relent. "I know ya love him, girl, whether you'll admit it or not. But that's all the more reason to let him switch Betty back." Her voice was soft and kind, but convincing. She 

breathed a sigh before letting out the final words: "Even if that means lettin' him and Betty be together. Sometimes you have to give up things if you want someone you care about to be happy." She looked at her friend significantly, wishing she didn't have to see the pain shining in her eyes. There was nothing more she could do; nothing more she could say to comfort her. Turning away, Libby left Cindy to think about what she'd said.

Time seemed to freeze for Cindy. The clouds, carried on a breath of wind, still inched their way over the stars; the asteroid she stood on kept spinning its way through space; and her pathetic little heart continued pumping her lifeblood through her veins. She was oblivious to it all.

_Give up? _The idea was foreign to the girl who'd spent her whole life vying for her five minutes of fame. And worst still, to give up to _Betty_? Every ounce of her being rebelled at the idea. It was hard for her mind to even grasp it.

Slowly, Cindy slipped her hand into her pocket and withdrew the oyster Jimmy had given her on the island. Opening it, she studied her pearl as it glittered in the cold starlight.

Jimmy really _had_ been upset to see Betty hate him, even if it was just from the influence of his invention. He'd be delighted to have Betty back to herself. He'd probably continue to smile stupidly at her, to stutter dumbly in her presence, and follow her like a dog on a leash, Cindy mused bitterly. But…if he really was happy that way…then…wasn't that the best? Sure, Betty wasn't necessarily the completely innocent girl she appeared to be; she'd lied to Cindy when she said Jimmy was hers. But that didn't mean she wasn't a nice girl…and that she couldn't be good for Jimmy.

That last thought sickened Cindy. She couldn't quite convince herself of its truth; yet, whenever Jimmy and Betty were together, they _did_ seem to like each other. Whatever doubts she had had about Betty, Cindy was sure Jimmy really cared for her, and that was what mattered, after all. Cindy swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back the tears she felt coming. It wouldn't be easy giving up. She'd never given in before—not for anything. But this was for Jimmy's happiness…right?

She glanced back at the boy genius, stretched out on his sleeping bag and still frowning up at the stars. Did she really care enough to let go? Always thinking of herself was what had formed all the problems between her and Jimmy in the first place. Now a truly selfless act looked like it could tear them apart for good.

She closed the oyster, slid it back into her pocket, and headed back to camp to try to sleep. She knew Libby was right, although she didn't want to admit it. And deep down, she also knew she wanted Jimmy to be happy. Maybe it was time to push aside her pride and selfishness. If she did, maybe Jimmy would forgive her for what she'd done and actually pay attention to her…someday.

But then again, it might only mean that he'd be too busy admiring a restored Betty to ever notice her.

And that would mean her "someday" would never come.

* * *

Reentering their camp, Libby marched over to where Sheen lay sprawled out on his sleeping bag to see exactly how successful Jimmy's idea had been so far. Nearby, Carl was engrossed in operating Jimmy's Pie-O-Matic and devouring whole pies; while before them, Goddard sat with drooping ears, obviously growing tired of playing…and replaying…every Ultralord episode Jimmy had recorded for Sheen. Libby turned back to Sheen and studied him in concern. His eyes were still glued to Goddard's screen as he dug his hand into a ridiculously huge bag of gumballs. When he stuffed a handful into his mouth, Libby cringed in disgust.

"Uh, Sheen," she began, "ya know you're not supposed to _eat _'em, don't you?"

Sheen still kept his eyes focused on the screen as he muttered in reply, "Don't…know…what…says…you."

"This is crazy!" Libby blurted out, turning and beginning to stomp away.

"Ow!"

Libby spun around to see Sheen pulling something out of his mouth. After a moment, he removed a huge lollipop, stick and all, and rubbed his mouth.

"That always happens!" he cried.

Libby's expression held a mixture of concern and disturbance. "What always happens?" she asked, looking as if she wasn't sure she even wanted to know.

"I start eating one kind of candy, but I can't wait to taste the next kind, so then I decide to just eat both kinds at the same time!" He reached into his mouth, pulled out a molar, and studied it as something profound had just dawned on him. "I always end up losing a tooth."

Libby stared at him for a moment without knowing what to say. Sheen, however, suddenly realized that his attention had actually been diverted away from Ultralord and didn't notice her.

"Ah!" he exclaimed frantically. "I just missed the best part of that episode! Rewind it, Goddard; rewind it for your well-being!"

With a slight whine, Goddard rewound it to the episode's opening credits.

Carl looked up just as the Pie O' Matic turned out a perfect, steaming apple pie. "That's the best part?" he asked.

"Every moment's the best part!" Sheen shot back.

Libby raised an eyebrow at him. "You've got some serious problems."

"I know!" Sheen grinned, as if Libby had just complimented him. "Which reminds me…when are you coming over to watch Ultralord on Friday? My grandma needs to know so she has time to get a new pair of dentures. Trust me," he finished, "you don't want to see her without them."

Libby grimaced. "_Sheen_, I told ya, I'm not watchin' Ultralord!" With a shake of her head, she began walking away.

"But, Libbs…" Sheen began to plead, when he discovered he was missing the Ultralord episode again. With a shriek of horror he turned back to Goddard. "Ahh! Quick, Goddard, REWIND! I can't miss a second of this episode!" He threw up his hands and gazed at the stars dramatically. "Torn between my two great loves! How much can a man take?!"

From his sleeping bag a few yards away, Carl threw him a sympathetic look. "I know what you mean." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Judy Neutron with a huge, fresh-out-of-the-oven pie on the table beside her. "Oh, Judy…only your own sweet pies could ever come close to separating us."

Sheen glanced in Carl's direction. "Huh? What did you say?"

Carl shoved the picture behind his back. "Nothing."


	19. Stranger

**Thanks again again for the feedback, guys! You rock!**

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**Pumpernickel Muffin-Thanks! Glad to hear it. :D**

**firepearl-Aw, yeah, that chapter was sad for me to write, too. Oddly enough, I based it on a really depressing dream I had. In fact, that scene with Libby and Cindy is what this entire fic was built around! I'm so glad I was able to capture the emotion of the moment in a way that you could feel it. Thanks! Success!! **

**hero67-Thank ya! And here I am, hurrying with the next! ;D**

**acosta perez jose ramiro-Hehe, yes, verrrry typical Carl. You know I had to throw that in there, haha! Oh, yeah, Libby is definitely Cindy's moral compass. Poor girl, though; it's not easy for her to bring pain to her friend. Hopefully Cindy will learn to listen to her own conscience more... Thank you. :)**

**mrmuscle-Thanks so much! Yeah, let's hope Cindy listens to Libby. But, ha, you never know with her... **

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**Chapter 18: Stranger**

The asteroid basked in a dim, grey light that lent the terrain a dreamlike quality. There were no trees in sight, only a sea of grass that stirred softly under the caress of a cool breeze. A few clouds slithered over the stars, but overall the sky was clear and sparkled with hundreds of lights. Cindy could pick out one shape in particular on the brightening horizon: the tiny, far-off speck called Earth. Her spirits sank and she let out a sigh, but she wasn't homesick.

All night long she hadn't been able to stop thinking of what Libby told her. Now, Libby was sound asleep, Carl was sprawled on his back snoring, and even Sheen had literally passed out on his sleeping bag. Cindy wasn't sure if Jimmy was asleep, but he was lying on his side with Goddard close beside him. Now and then she thought she heard the rustle of his sleeping bag as he moved, though Carl's snoring and Sheen's occasional murmurs and twitches practically drowned out any other sounds.

Frowning, Cindy pulled the Mood Alternator from her pocket, where she'd kept it from Jimmy all this time. He had been so concerned with getting to the asteroid and finding Betty that he hadn't asked her for it back…but she knew he would soon enough. She slipped out her oyster again, set it on the ground beside the Mood Alternator, and studied them both. Should she stand by and let Jimmy return Betty to her usual, irritatingly perfect self? Or should she try to stop him…and prevent Betty from ever taking first place?

The grey on the horizon was spreading now, heralding the approach of day. She'd been far too restless to sleep much, yet for all her pondering she was still no closer to a decision. With a small sigh, she glanced back at Jimmy's sleeping bag, only to find his spot was empty. Jimmy and Goddard had crept off to the edge of the camp and were sitting with their backs to it, watching the light peek over the horizon. Cindy noticed Jimmy's downcast appearance and swallowed. Maybe she should just tell him…everything…

The idea sent panic and relief through her at the same time. Panic, because part of her didn't dare let Jimmy know the true reason she'd used the Mood Alternator on Betty; and relief, because, deep down, she'd wanted him to know for a long time. Admitting it all could be the first step to setting everything straight.

Now would be perfect: when no one else would hear…when Sheen and Carl couldn't stand by, grinning stupidly…when one of their classmates couldn't eavesdrop and then tease her later…when not even Libby could listen in and comment.

Cindy stood to her feet, replaced the Mood Alternator and the oyster in her pocket, and headed nervously to where Jimmy was sitting.

_Look, Neutron, about the whole using your Mood Alternator on Betty thing…_

With each step Cindy's courage rose and she felt that at last, she could really do this. Finally, she could say what had been bottled up inside her for so long… She could set aside her stupid pride and stop hiding behind lies.

_I'm sorry…honestly. I just hated to see you and Betty—you know—together… _

Cindy stopped behind Jimmy and studied him for a moment, a bit of anxiety still fluttering in her stomach. But she was determined.

…_Because I've kinda only pretended to hate you. Ever since I met you, I've actually, secretly…_

Closing her eyes, Cindy tried to force a sound out of her mouth. Thoughts screamed through her brain, but her mouth was dry and her lips refused to move. She felt so weak, but worst of all she knew her words would expose her weakness to Jimmy. She despised the idea, but she couldn't back down now.

_I've been living a lie, Jimmy. Do you understand? Everything you know about me is one big, stupid lie…_

She closed her fingers into a fist and threw aside her last fear. With courageous resolve, she prepared to plow into her declaration head-on.

"Jimmy…I—I have to tell you something…" she managed to say.

"What would _you_ have to tell me?" His words held a bitter hint that fell painfully on her ears. She tried to fight back the growing fear inside of her, though she could tell from the look he threw her he was still angry and didn't really want to listen. But Cindy had made up her mind. She had to let this off her chest now, and it wasn't like he could hate her any more afterward than he already did now. She drew a deep breath…

At that instant, Goddard leapt up from his spot beside Jimmy and began barking menacingly. The kids raised startled eyes just in time to see a tall, shadowy figure slip out from behind their space car. Fear froze them both to the spot. Cindy's mouth dropped open in astonishment and her words were left unspoken. She and Jimmy continued to stare uncertainly at the vague form in front of them, but before either of them could say anything, the stranger spoke.

"At last I've found you, James Neutron!" came a man's voice.

Jimmy's expression grew puzzled at the mention of his name. As he stood and peered at the form in the shadow of his space car, Goddard's barking sank to a low growl. The boy genius swallowed and stepped forward cautiously, trying not to look frightened. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Wordlessly, the shape stepped out from the eerie blackness that had enveloped it. As the form moved closer, starlight fell upon a long hooded robe just like those of the monks from Shangri Llama. Beneath the hood, the man's solemn face, though still partially shrouded in darkness, took on a kindly expression. Clasping his hands together before him, he dipped his head respectfully to the kids, who stood motionless.

"My name is Ye," the monk announced. His voice was soothing, calming the children's doubts a little. "I have been searching for you, James."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Me?" he repeated. "What do you want?"

"I've come to aid you in your quest for Jia."

Cindy spoke for the first time. "Jia?"

"She whom you seek," Ye explained, and turned to Jimmy. "The one whom Yoo-Yee has taken from you; the one whom you love!"

Cindy rolled her eyes at his last comment, but Jimmy was obviously thrilled to hear of Betty.

"You've seen Betty?" he asked eagerly.

Cindy noticed the bright smile on his face and sudden sparkle in his eyes and her heart sank. He really did care for Betty, then…

"I have," the monk confirmed.

A commotion behind them interrupted the conversation. Turning, they caught sight of Libby, Sheen, and Carl all stirring in the camp behind them. Sheen was swaggering in front of a tired, uninterested Libby and rambling about all he'd learned from Ultralord episodes, and Carl was stumbling sleepily toward the Pie-O'-Matic. He stopped before it, rubbing his eyes and fumbling in his pocket for his glasses. As he put them on and leaned down to start up the machine, he spotted Ye and immediately cried out in horror.

"Ahh! An evil monk! Could it get any worse?!" he shrieked.

Libby and Sheen turned worriedly to see what Carl was fussing about. Libby's eyes hardened at the sight of the stranger near Jimmy and Cindy and her lethargy melted away. Jumping to her feet, she ignored the fact that her braids had gone frizzy in the night and tossed them angrily over her shoulder.

"OK, I don't know what you clone freaks want with us, but ya ain't touchin' my friends!" Libby spat out, stomping toward Ye boldly.

"No!" Jimmy cried. "He's come to help us!"

Cindy shot him a look. "Or so he _says_," she muttered.

Jimmy glared at her as Sheen, lost in his own world, rushed up to them without even noticing the monk. Carl followed cautiously, his gaze shifting between Jimmy's trusting, carefree face to the expressions of doubt on Cindy's and Libby's.

Before Ye could explain himself to Libby, Sheen jumped between him and Jimmy. "Hey, Jimmy!" he exclaimed. "Can I watch more Ultralord?!"

"No, Sheen," Jimmy replied softly, trying his hardest to control his irritation.

"But, Jimmy, you said—"

Jimmy couldn't hold back his temper at that. "We have to save Betty!"

"Can I watch just _five minutes_?!" Sheen pleaded.

"No!"

"But…but…it's _Ultralord_…" He stared wide-eyed at Jimmy as his eye twitched agitatedly.

Crossing her arms, Cindy watched Sheen through narrow eyes. "You know what?!" she broke in. "You either need some counseling or a punch to the face!"

"Cin, don't hurt him!" Libby scolded from her spot beside her.

Sheen turned to beam at her. "I knew you'd stand up for me, Honey Bun!" He puffed up his chest in an attempt to look macho, but only succeeded in looking ridiculous.

Libby turned to her friend and said dryly, "OK, _now_ ya can punch him."

At that moment, Sheen finally noticed Ye, who had bowed down before him.

"Ah, the Chosen One!" The monk spoke reverently. "May blessings rain down upon the heads of you and your friends!"

"But rain causes pneumonia!" Carl pointed out worriedly.

With a huff, Cindy turned to Ye. "I can't believe you guys think Ultra-dork is your Chosen One!"

Sheen shook his head at her condescendingly. "Cindy, Cindy, Cindy. I pity you in your ignorance! I've mastered fighting secrets that Ultralord himself knows! And besides, my awesome manly strength proves I'm the Chosen One!" He flexed an arm while the gang looked on skeptically.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sheen," Libby warned with a shake of her head.

Jimmy turned back to the monk in an attempt to bring the conversation back to the point. "Do you know where Betty is now?" he inquired.

"Yes. I can take you to her."

Unconvinced, Cindy crossed her arms and studied the monk narrowly. "How can we trust you?" she asked. "From all appearances, you're just an evil clone from this asteroid's version of Shangri Llama. You were probably sent by Evil Jimmy to lead us into a trap!"

Ye smiled gently. "Ah, you are indeed blessed with wisdom. I shall tell you of myself, but you will have to decide if you want to trust me."


	20. Fading Light

**All right, another chapter. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue updating regularly for you guys. Your enthusiasm is seriously contagious. (:**

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**_Michelle Weasley Fenton--_No kidding. This story is rough on Cindy. Then again, when you think about it, a lot of the episodes are rough on her, too. ): I've always sympathized with her.**

**_firepearl--_Thanks so much! I find it exciting that your reactions are exactly the kind I'm trying to get from my readers. And yeah, nothing like Sheen and Carl for a little comic relief. ;)**

**_Whisper (and this may explain things to others as well)--_OK, first off, I want to say how much I appreciate your taking the time to write out that long review. I know it's hard sometimes to take criticism, but yours really got me thinking. Thank you. I can't give away my plot here, but I'd like to point a few things out for you:**

**1) I know Jimmy seems very cold thus far, but I felt that was the way to keep true to the show. In Vanishing Act, for instance, he was totally clueless about Cindy's feelings toward Betty. I'm planning on delving into his thoughts on the situtation in my fic later; hopefully that will explain things better. The main problem for him right now is simply ignorance.**

**2) Betty was meant to be out of character, since the Mood Alternator had changed her emotions a lot. Unless you found some other problems?**

**3) I know this fic has been rough on Cindy right now. I can't tell you exactly where I'm going with it, but I can tell you that she is my favorite character and I do sympathize with her. Thanks for sticking with this and I hope this fic goes in a direction you like more later. I aim to please my readers (although of course as the author I DO get the final say in things), so I really appreciate feedback. **

**_hero67_--As always, thank you!! (:**

**_acosta perez jose ramiro--_Thanks, glad you think so. I always love throwing in a bit of mystery. Only time will tell his true intentions. And yeah, it is sad for poor Cindy, seeing how eager Jimmy is.**

**_jimmycindylove--_Good idea. I can't tell you my plans, of course; you'll just have to wait and see. And thanks!**

**_Mingxia--_Oh, yes, I understand what you mean. Thank you so much.**

**_Pumpernickel Muffin--_Ha, evil monks should be VERY interesting. ;)**

**_KteK--_Thanks a TON for the review and the fav!**

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**Chapter 19: In the Dark**

Something grated on her ears… Hugh's snoring?

No, someone was screaming!

Jimmy's teacher, Ms. Fowl?

Judy sat up in bed, staring out the window on her right. The sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon, illuminating the Neutrons' front yard with a golden shimmer. It was a calm, beautiful morning...except for the fact that Ms. Fowl's piercing screams, which sounded oddly like a bird squawking in fear, were shattering the peaceful atmosphere. Judy shoved the bedsheets aside, ran to the window, and peered out to see what was going on.

Ms. Fowl was backing up slowly down the sidewalk below, as if she were afraid of making any quick movements. Judy followed the woman's frightened gaze and realized the elderly teacher was studying a huge yellow flower sitting on the Neutron's curb.

"Hugh!" she cried. "You didn't get rid of that ferocious plant?"

"Huh! Huh?" Hugh sat halfway up in bed and rubbed his eyes. "Sugar Booger," he mumbled sleepily, "I set it on the curb for the garbage men to pick up…"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Judy rushed to their closet and snatched her robe off a hook. She slipped it over her shoulders as she rushed down the stairs and threw open the front door. Hardly knowing what to do, she found herself staring in mute wonder at the sight before her.

By now, Ms. Fowl had already put several yards' distance between her and the snarling flower. She spun around and tore down the sidewalk, leaving the plant to growl and snap at the air like a bloodthirsty dog. A piece of the old woman's skirt lay on the grass beside it; obviously the ravenous flower had struck before Ms. Fowl had made her escape.

Judy heard her husband's footsteps behind her. "Hugh, we need to do something!" she told him as she continued to stare at the Girl-Eating Plant.

"Don't worry, Butter Biscuit; I'll get out the leftover pie!" Hugh replied cheerily.

Judy frowned in annoyance. "No! I meant we need to do something about that plant!"

Hugh adjusted his glasses and looked over her shoulder at the huge flower. "You're right!"

"I'm concerned about what our son has been up to," Judy added. "Why would Jimmy leave that awful flower in our yard while he just…disappeared?"

"Now, now, Sugar Booger, there's no reason to get upset! I'm sure Jimmy's just decided to take up a nice, safe hobby like gardening!" He glanced again at the plant outside. "He just doesn't...er...have your green thumb."

Hugh threw Judy a worried look; even he couldn't be ignorant. What was going on with their son?

* * *

Out in the open landscape of the asteroid, Ye stepped back to study the children under the starlight. Cindy and Libby looked skeptical, Carl was terrified, and Goddard had his head cocked to one side, as if trying to analyze the monk. Side by side, Jimmy and Sheen were the only ones looking up at the stranger with trust.

Turning his head to let his eyes make a careful sweep of their surroundings, Ye lowered his voice. "I am not from this evil place," the monk began. "I came from Shangri Llama with Yoo Yee, but I do not follow his ways. My brothers chose me to accompany him so that I could stop him from harming the Chosen One and his comrades. We knew of his plans to find you all and try once again to take the Chosen One's place."

"But the monks of Shangri Llama didn't help us the first time Yoo Yee threatened Sheen! Why are you helping us now?" Jimmy demanded.

"The first time we would not interfere. It is the Chosen One's place to defend himself from opponents. But Yoo Yee had his chance. Now he is going too far by not only threatening our Chosen One the second time, but by also threatening all that is sacred to us. Besides," he added with a hint of guilt, "we felt bad that we gave the Chosen One no aid the first time."

"But why did Yoo Yee take Betty here and not to Shangri Llama?" Jimmy wondered.

"Because he allied himself with the one who made this land and the one you created: he who is identical to you."

Sheen scooted closer to Carl. "Not that I don't like the whole Chosen One thing," he muttered in his ear, "but these monk dudes talk weird!"

Overhearing his words, Libby shot him a look. "Speak for yourself."

Absorbed in his own thoughts, Jimmy smacked a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Evil Jimmy!" he frowned. "I knew he did this! But how did he escape the Dark Matter Dimension?" he muttered to himself.

"The Evil One you speak of created this place as a haven of wickedness as he formed his plans. He and Yoo Yee are trying to remove you all," Ye continued. "Yoo Yee shall take the Chosen One's place, and the Evil One shall make our own world as terrible as this world is. I am here to bring whatever aid I can to you. My brothers and I trust you will find a way to stop them both, Cheng," the monk ended, again bowing his head in respect.

Carl glanced from side to side as if expecting to see another monk. "Who's Cheng?" he asked, puzzled.

Ye smiled kindly and pulled back his hood. The silver light reflected off his bald head and sparkled in his soft grey eyes as he gazed at the children. "We have given the Chosen One and his comrades names in our own tongue," he responded. "Cheng is the name we gave your friend James, for his many accomplishments."

"Thanks!" Jimmy said complacently. He smirked at Cindy, who glared back at him.

Sheen stepped toward Ye eagerly. "Cool! What's mine?"

"Besides 'Chosen One', you are known as 'Zixin'."

Before Ye could finish explaining Sheen's name, the boy broke in. "What kind of a name is—"

With a frown, Libby smacked a hand over his mouth to quiet him and let Ye finish.

"However," Ye continued, taking on the tone of a fortune-teller, "your confidence in yourself is both a blessing and a curse." With that, he turned to give an affectionate smile to Libby. "We call you 'Ning', meaning 'tranquility'." He glanced at the rest of the gang and added, "You are invaluable to your friends."

Carl spoke up shyly. "What's my name?" he wondered.

"You are Shen, the Cautious One." Ye smiled again before his face grew serious. "But now we must return to important matters." He looked at Jimmy. "This world has a false Shangri Llama, one that is dedicated to evil, cruelty, and practical jokes. It is in that city that Yoo Yee and his ninjas stay, and it is there you will find Jia."

Jimmy couldn't help but smile dreamily at Ye's name for Betty. "'Jia' is the perfect name for Betty..."

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Libby glanced over at the boy genius. "What's it mean?"

"'Beautiful,'" Jimmy breathed.

Cindy exploded immediately. "How pathetic can you get?!" she burst out.

Jimmy glowered at her. "At least I'm not as pathetic as you, Dorktex!"

"_Pathetic?_"the blonde repeated, even more infuriated. "I'll show you pathetic!" She formed a fist, as if preparing to throw a punch right in the boy's face.

Ye stepped forward and gestured for the pair to step away from one another. "He is not the one you must fight, Mingxia," he told Cindy sternly.

Cindy turned to frown at the monk. "'Mingxia'? Betty is 'beautiful' and I get 'Mingxia'?"

Beside her, Jimmy chuckled softly and Cindy glared at him again. Ye, however, kept a solemn face as he gazed past them at the sky. The clouds were tinged in pale shades of gold, pink, and orange from the first rays of light that peeked through them and flooded the whole asteroid with warmth. At last, the monk spoke.

"'Mingxia'," he murmured, "is our word for the light that breaks through the clouds before sunrise. There is much beauty in the morning light…when it shines through the clouds and does not let them cover it," he ended significantly.

Slowly, Cindy's anger waned, leaving her speechless as she mulled over the monk's meaning. She turned to study the sunrise, then threw a look at Jimmy, who'd also grown strangely quiet. The boy had known the name's meaning all along, but now that _she_ knew, he shyly avoided eye contact. In an effort to break the awkward silence that had fallen, he looked back at Ye. "Can you lead us to Betty now?" he inquired.

Again Ye bowed. "Yes…but we must use much caution," he warned.

Sitting on Goddard's back as they sped over the asteroid's empty landscape, Jimmy veered around a rock jutting up before him.

Swaying dizzyingly from Goddard's mouth once more, Carl began to complain for the thousandth time. "Uh, Jim," he groaned, "why couldn't we just take the space car all the way to the evil Shangri Llama?"

The genius shook his head impatiently. "Because I had to land it several miles away so we wouldn't give ourselves away!" he explained yet again.

Off to their right, Sheen was perched on the back of the hovercycle, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Oh, yeah, baby!" he cried. "This hovercycle is like the ridiculously dangerous vehicle of my dreams!"

Ye's mischevious grin widened and he stomped down once more on the gas pedal. "You got that right, Chosen One!" he exclaimed.

The girls were riding the hoverboard and follwing just a few yards behind the boys. As the wind whipped through her braids, Libby pushed them out of her eyes and glanced over at Cindy. The girl had been uncharacteristically silent for the entire trip, and Libby couldn't shake the hint of guilt she felt over last night. She knew her best friend was mulling over the conversation they'd had; it was plain that it had cut deeply at her heart. Black circles shadowed Cindy's eyes, which looked exhausted and lifeless. Had the girl even slept last night? With a sigh, Libby turned back to the horizon before them, hoping that they'd be able to rescue Betty quickly and get this adventure over with.

Her dismal mood suddenly melted into irritation when she noticed Ye's reckless driving. Sheen was still shouting gleefully, encouraging the monk to speed up and swerve the hovercycle about dangerously.

The girl rolled her dark eyes and shouted up to Jimmy. "I KNEW lettin' 'em on that wasn't a good idea!"

Still swinging from Goddard's mouth, Carl spoke up once more. "Jimmy, can we stop?" he asked.

The genius 's brow furrowed as he failed to mask his impatience. "Not again!"

"But, Jim, I'm gonna have to stop before—"

At that moment, they were interrupted by the sunlight fading noticeably. The gang lifted their eyes to the sky as a huge dark blot crept across the sun, slowly swallowing it and enveloping the entire asteroid in darkness.

For the first time, Cindy spoke. "What's going on?" she wondered.

Jimmy couldn't hide his scientific enthusiasm. "It looks like the earth is moving in a direct line between this asteroid and the sun! It's like a solar eclipse back home, only because the earth's mass is so much greater than the asteroid's, it'll probably last a couple days. Nothing to worry about, guys," he finished.

"Oh, sure;" Libby interjected sarcastically, "hangin' out in the dark all the time is always fun!"

"Hey, Jimmy," Carl broke in quietly, "I kinda need to stop now."

But his friend didn't hear him. "Actually," Jimmy answered Libby, "it's an interesting scientific phenomenon."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Oh, and its being a scientific phenomenon immediately makes it better!"

Glaring at the girl across from his agitatedly, Jimmy shot a quick comeback at her. "Well, of course you wouldn't appreciate anything of scientific interest!"

"Uh…Jimmy…" Carl insisted, "I really have to…"

Still intent on her argument with Jimmy, Cindy smirked. "No, I just find better ways to spend my time."

"GUYS, QUIT FIGHTIN'!"

Startled by Libby's shouting, Jimmy and Cindy paused. Then, each wearing frustrated frowns, they ended their shouting match by turning away from each other. Suddenly, Jimmy remembered that Carl had been trying to get his attention earlier and peered down at his friend.

"What were you were saying, Carl?" he wondered.

"Never mind."

Studying the sky again, Ye broke another heavy silence that had fallen over the gang. "This darkness befits a land so darkened by evil."

Sheen turned in his seat to mutter to Libby. "Man, he gets weirder and weirder!" He stared up at the sky again and let a grin slide across his face. "But this is sweet! Think of all the practical jokes we can play on Carl in the dark!"

"Ahh!" Carl yelled. "Sheen, just the thought of you evoking terror in me evokes terror in me!"

Sheen smiled gleefully. "I know!"

* * *

**On a side note, I spent some time (several months ago, now, actually) looking up names and their meanings, and I discovered those Chinese names. If I remember correctly, Ye itself means "friend". Now all that remains is to find out if that's a misnomer or not... ;)**


	21. Confusion

**As always, thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'm very flattered. I'm switching over to e-mailing my responses to you guys; it is a bit easier and makes more sense anyway. But for those of you who reply anonymously, I'll continue to reply here, so I don't leave you out:**

**Whisper--I see. That makes more sense; I do understand your feelings a bit more now. I hope this chapter clarifies things a bit more; we'll see. I've always known this story would be a little...emotionally intense, but I'm hoping in the end it will be satisfying for all my readers. Thanks again for taking the time to point all that out and for continuing to read. I really do appreciate it!**

**Michelle Weasley Fenton--Thanks, yeah, I tried to find some good names that really represented who each member of the gang truly was. Glad you liked them. And, don't worry, I'll be bringing in some action soon! Can't have a good story without action. )**

**...Also, I apologize for having a rather short, depressing chapter, but I figured it was better to give you guys a short chapter sooner than make you wait only-heaven-knows-how-much-longer for a bigger one.**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Confusion**

She was enveloped in darkness that seemed to be smothering whatever life remained in her. The air felt thick as she struggled to force it into her lungs...or maybe they had just forgotten how to function. In...out...in...out... Every breath came with effort, only to be rewarded with a relentless burning sensation in her chest. Slowly, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, but even that simple movement was tiresome. The strange, unfamiliar passion inside her had pushed her this far, but she couldn't take this absurdity any longer.

It was another one of her brief moments of lucidity. Suddenly, she could grasp what was going on, as if the fog in her brain had been lifted or a light had been flicked on. Betty's past confusion melted away when the memory of Cindy pointing one of Jimmy's gadgets at her in the Candy Bar flashed through her mind. Of course, something had happened to her that had spawned these baffling emotions within her.

She brushed a strand of damp hair out of her eyes and stared miserably up at the ninja, who was staring discontentedly back at her. What was she doing? She was not a fighter. And why would she want to fight Cindy, anyway? Every aching muscle in her body reminded her of how hopeless taking on the blonde Tae Kwon Do master would be. It was impossible to learn this sort of skill in the short time frame she had.

Not that the monks hadn't tried their hardest. Betty had been in an uncharacteristically violent mood today as they'd demonstrated the proper ways to kick, punch, and block. But as the moves grew more complex and the complex moves became long, difficult combos, her energy had quickly dwindled.

How long had she been doing this? It felt like ages, though she knew it had only been a day. One painful, unending day of relentless training.

"Come, we must continue!"

Betty stared blankly up at the monk. It had amused her earlier to think of this monk as a warrior too, so she'd come up with the name "ninja-monk" and privately laughed at the contradiction. But that was hardly amusing now. Now, she wanted to run from him and find a way to return home; this strange asteroid-planet unnerved her. Its population took too much pleasure in inflicting pain on everyone else...and then there was that Jimmy's odd look-a-like, whom she feared greatly. She hadn't seen him since last night, but there was no telling when he could show up again.

She didn't belong here. She couldn't hurt Jimmy or any of his friends, and she certainly didn't hate them. If she could--

"WHAT are ya doin'?" came a sharp, disturbingly familiar voice.

Somewhere close by, a shadow swooped down from the sky and a hover board landed on the ground. The courtyard of Shangri Llama was still, dark, and quiet as the figure hopped off the hover board and marched toward Betty and her "ninja-monk".

"I thought ya told me you were gonna learn how to fightso you could take care of Neutron and his friends." Evil Jimmy focused his intense stare on Betty, who shuddered. Any moment her clarity of mind would sink into fog again, and she'd agree to stay in this awful place...

"I told you," she answered, forcing herself to sit up off the ground and narrowing her eyes at him, "I don't know how to fight. And there's no way I can learn before they get here! It's been one day. Tomorrow..."

"Forget the time!" the clone snapped. "I have one of Neutron's nifty little gadgets to take care of that. The question is: Do you want to take care of 'em, or not?"

For one brief instant Betty thought of simply agreeing again. After all, Cindy had been a jerk to her, she reminded herself, shoving aside the memory of her own behavior. She deserved... But then she remembered Jimmy's innocent face, the way his eyes lit up whenever she was around... No, she couldn't betray that, whatever risk it posed to herself. Jimmy had rescued her too many times for her to turn her back on him.

"No," she responded, trying to sound firm. Her voice wavered and fear shook through her...and not only because of the way the clone was staring at her. She was conscious of the fog settling in again; the confusion was already beginning to disrupt her thoughts and throw her emotions into turmoil. It didn't matter what she said or did now, because whatever had her mind in its grasp was going to force her to betray Jimmy and his friends against her own will.

* * *

There was no difference between night and day anymore: the blackness remained the same and was only broken by the dim starlight. Everything was still and quiet, without a breath of wind in the air, as the gang landed on a cliff overlooking Shangri Llama. The air was chilly, but not nearly as cold as that of the snow-capped mountains towering over the original Shangri Llama on Earth. There were no Mt. Everests on the asteroid-planet; this mountain was closer in size to a hill.

"Here we are," Ye announced softly, although from their height there was no chance of being overheard from below. He still studied their surroundings warily, though, as if he expected to see a monk crouching behind a nearby boulder or perched on an overhang beneath them. "The Shangri Llama you see nestled in the valley below is built just as the one on Earth. I do not know where Jia is being kept, because I escaped to meet you as soon as Yoo Yee returned to the asteroid."

"Ah, infiltrating this place should be a piece of cake," Jimmy replied, waving it off. "The monks should mistake us for our evil counterparts as long as we don't give ourselves away. All we have to do is act evil, just like we did back in the city, and the monks should cooperate for us."

"Yeah," Cindy agreed, "but what if Evil Jimmy's in Shangri Llama right now? Then you won't be duping anyone, Neutron! You'll have to stay out and let the rest of us handle this."

Jimmy frowned in frustration. "But I have to stop him!" he protested. "I can't just stay here; I have to go!"

"No way! You're not putting _our _necks in danger just because you have to do another one of your macho acts!" Cindy's eyes flashed with an ominous light, and Jimmy hesitated.

"Cindy's right;" Libby cut in, "it's too dangerous!"

Sheen grinned at her and then announced confidently, "You got nothing to worry about, Jimmy! I can take your evil clone!" He held up a fist as if to prove his point.

"But I'm the genius here; I can devise a strategic rescue plan!" Jimmy argued, but his tone was becoming desperate now. It was obvious he knew he couldn't win this now.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "I think we're perfectly capable of figuring out how to get Miss America out of Shangri Llama!"

"Yeah, you're not the only one with a brain, Jimmy!" Libby agreed, narrowing her eyes at him.

"But…" Jimmy said weakly.

Ye took that moment to break in. He stepped forward calmly, raising his hand to call attention to himself and speaking in a cool tone. "The wisest listen to the ideas of others, Cheng," he informed the boy genius as he gestured to the rest of the kids. "I also believe Mingxia is right. Stay here and trust your friends to save Jia."

The concern was clear on the boy's face. "But I can't just stand by when Betty's in trouble! What am I supposed to do?!" he wondered.

Cindy couldn't resist the spiteful smile that slid across her face. "If you're so smart, find a way to entertain yourself!" she shot back.

"I'll stay here with you, Jim," Carl volunteered. "Evil monks scare me almost as much as lima beans!"

Jimmy shook his head at his friend's last comment, but he was grateful for the company.

As Cindy, Libby, and Sheen followed Ye down a narrow pathway leading to the valley, he stood beside Carl and Goddard, watching them furiously. His fingers clenched themselves into fists unconsciously as he complained bitterly to the boy next to him. "Ugh! Cindy is so annoying! I can't believe I let her come!"

"But I thought you liked her," Carl murmured innocently, picking the wrong subject at the absolute wrong time.

"No way!" Jimmy spat out, still seething with rage.

"Then how come when Ms. Fowl had that talk on classic romance stories you and Cindy kept smiling at each other?" Carl insisted, grinning slightly.

"I wasn't smiling! I was cringing because I couldn't believe I was being subjected to such mental torture! I mean, _love stories_?! Bluh!"

This turned Carl's thoughts to another topic and he looked away thoughtfully. "Yeah, but I kinda liked Ms. Fowl's description of _Gone with the Whirlwind_," he mused.

But Jimmy wasn't paying attention to Carl anymore. He was gazing thoughtfully down at Shangri Llama with unseeing eyes. The anger was quickly melting into a whirlwind of emotions: a sense of confusion, misery, and betrayal that was anything but new to him. It wasn't the fact that he'd been left behind to wait anxiously for his friend's return with a safe Betty in tow that bothered him the most. No, there was something else, something that had been troubling him even before Betty had been captured, although her kidnapping had made the problem far worse. What upset him was Cindy herself. Why did she take such pleasure in tormenting him all the time, anyway? The mystery was as unfathomable to him as it was agonizing. Her motives behind everything in this wild journey had been to hurt him, from the moment in the Candy Bar when she'd pointed the Mood Alternator at Betty with that spiteful expression to just a few moments ago, when she'd found a way to turn even a simple conversation into a maddeningly frustrating argument. Why did he feel so backstabbed and confused?

As much as he liked to pretend those days had never happened, he had never forgotten the days he'd spent with Cindy on the deserted island. Then he'd thought they'd started building the foundation to a close friendship and that he'd actually gotten to meet the real Cindy for the first time. Yet whatever had happened there had fallen to pieces once they'd returned home. There had been moments when Jimmy had thought maybe she felt something in return--not that he cared that much for her, of course not. Then Cindy would turn around and start another fight or do something else so painful that Jimmy couldn't help but wonder why he even liked the girl in the first place. If she didn't like him...

He closed his eyes and breathed the cool air in slowly and deeply. Carl was muttering something nearby, but Jimmy ignored it. All he could do was try to still the turmoil inside of him: silence the thoughts, ignore the confusion, and wait for the throbbing in his heart and head to come to a stop. But, contrary to his wishes, it didn't stop completely. It never did.


	22. Shangri Llama

**YES! New chapter time! Hope it's not awful. Sometimes I feel like I want this fic updated as badly as you seem to. I guess that's because I have so much planned and just can't wait to write it and post it for you guys to see. Anyway, I have a few reviews I couldn't respond to through e-mail so I'll just write some quick responses here:**

**Michelle Weasley Fenton: Wow, some good points there. I can't give what I've got planned for this story away, so I can't comment on what you said as much as I'd like. Later perhaps. But, yeah, Jimmy and Cindy have a lot of problems they need to work out: let's hope what they're going through now makes them realize that.**

**Whisper: Thank YOU! I'd always planned on explaining Jimmy's thoughts more clearly, but your input made me realize I'd better not hold off much longer. You also gave me some inspiration with the Betty situation...made it more interesting. I'm glad I was able to make things clearer for you. Hope you like how the rest of the fic goes. I know as a writer it's impossible to ALWAYS please EVERYONE, but I really try. Your comments don't fall on deaf ears, trust me. Constructive criticism is very helpful.**

**KNZ: Thanks so much! I'm really glad you think that. I find the characters' thoughts and personalities pretty fascinating, and I guess my interest makes my job easier. Anyway, that's one of my goals as a writer, so...SUCCESS! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Shangri Llama**

As Ye, Cindy, Sheen, and Libby crept through the dark valley, they studied their surroundings nervously. Any second they expected a monk to leap out at them from the shadows and recognize them as imposters. Ye led them silently to the gate, which was open. They were suspicious of this at first, but they passed through into the empty courtyard without incident.

At last, Cindy broke the rather eerie silence by speaking softly to Ye. "So, if Yoo Yee wants to defeat Sheen to become the Chosen One, won't he want to fight the Evil Sheen on this asteroid too?" she wondered.

"No, child," Ye explained as his eyes scanned the windows of the buildings surrounding them. "Here he is only a visitor. Earth is his home, and he desires only to be Chosen One in his native land. The true Chosen One is safe as long as you pretend to be like them. They are evil and cruel, but they will still honor you."

"So we just gotta pretend to be evil till we can get Betty outta here?" Libby asked. "That can't be too hard."

"We must still use caution, my friends," Ye warned. "Be silent as shadows and prepare for the strike!"

Cindy peered up at him bewilderedly. "The strike?"

But she received no answer.

As they stepped forward, the group noticed remnants of food and dozens of broken chopsticks littering the monastery grounds. Libby nearly slipped on a banana peel lying on the path while Cindy kicked away a smashed eggshell.

"Oh, yeah!" Sheen shouted, letting his voice echo throughout the entire courtyard. "Food fight! These guys know how to live!" In his excitement to retrieve some of the smashed food and toss it around again, he nearly collided with Cindy.

The blonde spun around to face him furiously. "Zip it, Ultra-nerd!" she hissed. "What does it take to get the words 'be quiet' through your thick skull?"

Unfazed by her sharp tone, Sheen grinned widely. "Wow, Cindy, you're good at the whole 'pretending to be evil' thing!"

She rolled her eyes and glared at him again. "And what do I always tell you about standing next to me?"

"That you'd love it if I stood at least twenty feet away from you at all times!" Sheen offered.

"Good. Why don't you try it?" Cindy suggested dryly, narrowing her eyes at him.

Cheerfully, Sheen began marching away from her, carefully counting out the feet as he went. "One foot, two feet, three feet…" He paused. "This would be a lot easier if I knew what a foot was," he muttered to himself.

Cindy cupped her hands around her mouth to call after him. "More…" Sheen took two more steps. "Way more…"

Not paying attention to where he was headed, Sheen smashed straight into a wall and fell backward to the cement with a yell.

"Perfect," Cindy murmured.

Meanwhile, Ye and Libby were focused on surveying their surroundings intently. Everywhere it was silent and still: every building was dark, every section of the valley was empty, and every sound they made seemed to go unnoticed. There hadn't been a single reaction to Sheen's outbursts. It seemed as if only the stars twinkling in the dark sky watched them.

"This is kinda creepy," Libby commented, gazing into the shadows behind one of the buildings as if expecting to see someone waiting to ambush them.

Sheen scraped himself off the ground with a wince and trudged over to her side. "Yeah, where is everybody?" he wondered. He brushed a bit of dust off his precious Ultralord shirt as Ye, who'd been in the lead, walked back toward them.

"They may have retired for the night," he informed them, though an uncertain frown creased his forehead.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tomato smacked Sheen right in the face.

"Not more tomatoes!" Sheen shouted dramatically. "It's a recurring nightmare!"

Libby grimaced and tried to wipe off some of the tomato juice that had splattered onto her. She, Cindy, and Sheen formed a tight circle as they gazed cautiously into the darkness, but Ye stepped forward. For several moments all was still again and the air grew tense with the group's growing fear. Then cruel laughter broke out on their right, piercing the night with its discordant tone. A ninja armed with a few more tomatoes slipped out of the shadows as he continued to laugh.

"Ha!" he spat out. "Your lack of pleasure gives me joy that is deep!"

Libby raised an eyebrow and hastily sought a suitable answer. "Uh…you're welcome?"

Cindy shot her a worried glance and moved her lips, ever so slightly, to mouth the word 'no', but it was too late. For one breathless second, the ninja studied them in suspicion.

Then all at once he exploded. "What?! You use the polite talk! You must be imposters!"

"No, no!" Cindy protested.

Ye stepped into the conversation calmly. "What she meant to say was that your joy gives us all a bad case of indigestion," he explained.

Before the ninja could respond, the door of the nearest building opened, letting the sounds of shouting and banging escape along with a ray of flickering light. As a man dresssed in the garb of a monk stepped out and closed the door behind him, his eyes landed on Sheen and his jaw dropped immediately.

"Ah, the Chosen One of Evil!" the monk exclaimed, rushing down the steps to stand before them. "May your days forever be full of affliction!" He bowed to Sheen and then conked his over the head.

"Ow!" Sheen rubbed his head and frowned. "Hey, what's your problem?" he demanded.

The monk ignored him. "Come, follow me!"

He and the ninja turned and headed toward the building with Ye and the puzzled children following. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a strange sight and a rush of noise that heavy walls and doors had blocked from them earlier. The long, narrow room was lit by dozens of flickering candles, with a large table on one side where a group of monks were engaged in another food fight. On the other side, the remaining monks were entertaining themselves however they pleased. There was no rhyme or reason to anything they did—as long as it was destructive and cruel. Two monks stood near the doorway throwing absurd insults at one another; a small group fought, attacking each other with their fists, legs, heads, and gongs; one slid the chair away from another man as he was about to seat himself; and a different monk carved his name into one of the wooden columns and chuckled evilly all the while. Another took a candle to the back of his comrade's robe until it burst into flames and the man ran shrieking into a pond outside.

"This is really weird," Libby said softly.

Right then, a monk tossed a wooden bowl of rice, but it missed its target and crashed over Sheen's head. "Man!" he shouted. "What is it with this place?"

As the three kids and Ye continued to linger uncertainly in the doorway, the monk who had led them into the building strode to the center of the room.

"Close your mouths, my repulsive brethren!" he cried over the din.

Sheen smiled and nudged the girls at his side. "Heh! These monks don't even know how to insult each other right!"

"Quiet, Sheen!" Libby whispered.

Immediately everyone froze and turned to the monk, except for one man, who had just been knocked over the head with a chair. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious, but everyone ignored him.

"We have guests we must honor!" the speaker continued. "The Evil Chosen One and his friends have come to us this night!"

The monks turned to Sheen in awe and began bowing to him right away. Several approached to speak.

"Welcome, Chosen One," the first greeted Sheen. "May all your deeds be impressive and despicable!" He smacked Sheen's head.

"Hey!" Sheen burst out indignantly.

But the first monk had stepped back to let another come forward. "Your presence is a privilege, One Who Puts Leg Behind Head." He punched Sheen in the gut and the boy nearly fell over.

"As honored guests you must all partake in a feast!" a third monk announced, then frowned at them. "But first you must dress in more fitting attire." Grabbing Sheen by the ear, he yanked him through the room and down a hallway as the other three followed.

"Ow!" came Sheen's voice. "What's your problem?"

As they watched Sheen get dragged through the building, Cindy and Libby tried in vain to stifle their giggles.

* * *

Standing in the small but comfortable room they'd been shown to, Libby set her hand on her hip and studied her friend approvingly.

"I gotta say, girl, I'm diggin' the whole Oriental look." She ran a hand along the sleeve of the silk, button-up top she'd been given. It and the loose pants she wore were both a deep shade of violet, embroidered with a beautiful, intricate pattern of silver flowers. Even her shoes had been replaced with matching slippers. "I wish I could remember what funny name they called these things...some sort of combination of their traditional dress and their modern fashion sense..."

Shaking her head at her friend's ramblings, Cindy turned to a nearby mirror and glanced for a moment at her reflection. Her outfit was similar to her friend's, only emerald green with a golden flower design, while her hair was pulled into a loose bun. Yet her eyes held a strangely menlancholy expression that made her feel as if she were staring at a stranger. She looked away hastily.

"These monks are so weird," she declared almost tonelessly, "insisting we dress up and everything."

Libby couldn't help but grin significantly at her companion. "But it's not that bad. I mean, you know if Jimmy could see ya now, he'd forget all about Betty."

Cindy almost gasped and hurried to change the subject. "Libby, we aren't here for a fashion show. We have to find Betty," she reminded the girl standing across from her.

"I hafta admit, I like the star treatment!" Libby went on, not really paying attention to her friend. "I could use somethin' more like this in my wardrobe." She brushed one of her braids back over her shoulder and turned to her friend with a smile. "I wonder what they've done to Sheen."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You can drool over him after we get this rescuing Betty job over with," she replied. Striding across the room, she yanked open the door and stepped out into the passage with Libby on her heels. Cindy had no intention of remaining in this place any longer than necessary. Already irritated with having to rescue the girl she hated, she was determined to find Betty quickly and leave before they got into trouble. No way was she about to get captured in an attempt to save Her Majesty, the Beauty Queen. Cindy curled her fingers into a fist and tried to keep the rush of emotions at bay.

She and Libby had made it halfway down the passageway when a monk approached them.

Before the man could say anything, Cindy stepped toward him. "We need to see Betty…or Jia…or whatever you call her," she said abruptly.

"An' where's Sheen?" Libby added, a hint of worry in her voice.

The monk bowed before them. "My brethren and I request that you follow me outdoors and grace us with your presence. I am sorry, but Jia cannot join us yet, but the Chosen One is there already."

Libby's eyes glinted with suspicion. "What's goin' on?"

"We have requested the Chosen One to perform a special duty before our feast and we wish you to be there."

Glancing at one another apprehensively, Libby and Cindy followed the monk outside.

* * *

On the cliff overlooking Shangri Llama, Goddard zoomed in onto the courtyard below to display a close-up picture of what was going on. Jimmy and Carl, glued in place as they stared at his screen, couldn't fight off the growing anxiety for their friends. Several of the evil monks and Yoo Yee's ninjas had gathered on one side of the courtyard. One over-eager monk had a gong handy. In the center, Sheen, clothed in a black top and pants covered in silver dragons, was poised confidently for battle. Ye stood impassively at his side, while across from them a group of fierce-looking ninjas appeared to be waiting for some sort of action to begin.

"Oh, no!" Jimmy said. "They can't be doing what I think they're doing! Sheen doesn't stand a chance against all those ninjas!"

"This is worse than the time he fought Yoo-Yee!" Carl shouted in horror, almost making Jimmy jump into the air as his voice burst on the boy's eardrums. Then, just as abruptly, he lowered his voice. "Only we're watching from a safe distance," he finished a bit sheepishly.

Jimmy's expression took an optimistic turn as he glanced back at Goddard's "GTV". "Maybe I'm mistaken. I mean, why would they endanger Sheen? They're honoring him as the Chosen One, after all. Look at the way he's dressed!" he gestured to the boy, who looked rather dashing in his new outfit...and obviously knew it.

"Yeah," Carl agreed. "Maybe they're just training him for something."

The boys continued watching the screen uncertainly, when suddenly another monk stepped out of a nearby building and stopped on the edge of the courtyard. Behind him, Libby and Cindy kept to the shadows, gazing worriedly at the scene unfolding before them. Jimmy sought anxiously for Betty, but she was nowhere in the vicinity. Where were they keeping her? And would his friends be able to find her? Was she safe? The last question sent a quiver of horror through him, and he hastily tried to shake it away. He drew a deep breath and refocused on the view he had of the scene below him.

The monk by Cindy and Libby gestured to them and the girls moved out of the shadows, letting the light hit them. The green and gold shades of her clothes complimented her just as Libby had said, while the starlight shimmered in her hair and eyes. Jimmy forgot himself. "Wow…Cin…" Catching himself mid-sentence, Jimmy turned to his Carl, who had been enjoying Jimmy's little act immensely. "I mean, sinister!" Jimmy shot out.

Carl glanced back at the screen. "Yeah, all those evil monks give me the creeps." He shivered slightly.

Relieved to see he'd fooled his simple-minded friend, Jimmy turned back just as a monk came forward, as if to speak. It was best not to let his mind concentrate on Cindy even for a second; thinking about her inevitably left him confused and a bit hurt. Especially now, when everything she did seemed to be done out of pure spite toward him. He just wanted his friends to find Betty and get safely out of there.

As the monk strode to the center of the courtyard and the others all grew quiet to listen, Jimmy frowned worriedly. "This can't be good…" he mumbled.

"Ahh! Evil monk speech!" Carl cried out, covering his eyes. "I can't watch!"

Shaking his head, Jimmy watched intently as the monk bowed to Sheen, then to Cindy and Libby. As the man straightened himself, he looked like he was about to address everyone in the courtyard, but Jimmy never heard his words. A nearby sound quickly diverted his attention. He turned to see a form on a jetpack descending into the shadows behind him just as a familiar voice greeted him.

"Long time no see, eh, Einstein?" the figure remarked casually. "I hope you're enjoying your stay; it's kinda like a family reunion for you and me. I gotta say, it's been pretty entertaining livin' your life up here. I've gotta put up with your dweebs for friends, but your parents are good at the whole being evil thing. I love clones!"

"Evil Jimmy!" the boy genius spat out, glaring at the shadowy form of the clone. "How did you escape the Dark Matter Dimension?"

"That's my little secret," Evil Jimmy responded. "Ya know, you're not the only one with a brain, Hot Shot."

"What do you want?" Jimmy demanded, still frowning deeply. He was conscious of Carl fidgeting nervously at his side.

"To get rid of you, of course," the clone answered, stepping out into the light. "Ya know, for a genius, you're slow at catching the obvious. I've been havin' fun up here, but it's an asteroid, ya know? Not much living space. So I wanted to upgrade and live on an evil earth instead, but there was just one issue with that. I knew goody-goody Fancy Boy with all his gadgets wouldn't let me and my clones just move in. That's why I decided to get a little help from some fighting experts and get you up here where we have the advantage. I thought you'd come up here all on your own to investigate, but it seems you're too busy playin' with your toys all the time to come visit an old friend. So I had to get bird boy and his friends over there to bait you by kidnapping your girlfriend…" He glanced down at the courtyard where Cindy was standing and Jimmy followed his gaze. As Evil Jimmy turned back to the genius and caught the embarrassment on the boy's face, he smirked. "Looks like they got the wrong one."

Jimmy brushed the comment aside. "Well, you got me to come here; now what do you want me to do?"

A malicious grin slowly slid across the clone's face. "Hmmm...let's see..." he began, pretending to think. "I think...I want you to catch this, pretty boy!" He lifted his closed fist, which was enclosing a round, metallic object, and suddenly released it at Jimmy.


	23. Sheen in the Eagle's Shadow

**Sorry for not updating sooner, guys. I'm afraid this might be a cruddy chapter after the wait I put you through, but I'll leave you to be the judge of that.**

**KNZ--Thanks a lot. Of course I'll continue... :) I just might take some time before I update, but I definitely plan to finish this fic.**

**Whisper--Yeah, it was a bit of a filler chapter, I suppose. Since I focused more on the comedic side of the evil monks, there wasn't much of a creepy atmosphere in the chapter. But I kinda like it that way: I feel like I've had so much tension so far in the story that some goofy monk moments were in order. But thanks. Yes, I do always appreciate your advice.**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Sheen in the Eagle's Shadow**

In the courtyard of Shangri Llama, Libby and Cindy watched anxiously as the monk stepped to the center to speak. Sheen, however, remained cool and confident in his position beside Ye. Obviously, all the attention was going to his head.

Silence settled over the monks as they gazed at the speaker. As the man swept his cold, dark eyes over everyone in the courtyard, the starlight flashed in them like a reflection in a bottomless, black pool. He made no other motion or sound, and everyone else, riveted in place by his stare, stood motionless as well. The quiet stretched on until it felt like an unbearable weight pressing down and stifling the girls. It was at that moment they both realized they'd been holding their breath.

Libby couldn't take it anymore. "If they're gonna make Sheen fight all those ninjas, he's doomed!" she whispered to her friend. Her voice sounded loud in the night, but none of the monks seemed to notice. "I don't care how many Ultralord shows he's watched; he's gonna get creamed!"

Cindy, her eyes bent on the scene before her and her forehead creased in thought, didn't even turn her head. "Calm down, Libbs. We'll figure a way out of this."

"Ya better start thinkin' fast, girl!" Libby fidgeted with her fingers nervously.

At that moment, the monk in the center of the courtyard lifted his hands in a gesture calling for silence and finally began to speak.

"My despised brethren," he began, and his solemn voice reverberated off the buildings surrounding them, "we have had a great honor today. The Chosen One of Evil himself has blessed us with his own wicked presence. And as Chosen One, he must now perform a sacred duty. In order to keep the chaos in Shangri Llama, he shall meet in combat these ninjas, who have been convicted of crimes of decency." He let the last word fall off his tongue with a grimace, as if speaking it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

A few feet away, Sheen nudged Ye in the side with a grin. "Man, these guys are nuts!"

"Quiet yourself, Chosen One," Ye murmured. Cast in shadow, his face was inscrutible, but Sheen didn't take that as a need to be alarmed. In fact, he hardly noticed Ye's expression at all.

"Come, Chosen One," the monk in the center called out, extending a hand to him. A trace of malevolence flickered in his eyes, but Cindy couldn't decide if that was only because everything these monks did was evil or if he could see through the kids' facade.

Unfazed by the intensity behind the man's eyes, Sheen strolled over to him casually and cracked his knuckles. "Ah, man, this'll be easy!" he boasted. "Get a load of this, Libbs!" He glanced over at her with a grin, not catching the horror on Libby's face. "I'll send these ninjas packing with my ultra-moves!"

Cindy rolled her eyes at Sheen's attempt to show off, but Libby leaned her head in her hand and groaned. "I can't watch," she declared in a voice strained with worry.

The three ninjas across from Sheen assumed sparring positions while Sheen himself stood heroically with a hand on his hip, as if he really were Ultralord.

"Oh, boy," Cindy muttered.

Still shielding her face with her hand, Libby cringed. "Tell me he ain't doin' it, girl!"

Cindy's tone was dry. "He is."

_Clang!_ Cindy and Libby both nearly jumped at the sudden noise bouncing off the walls and exploding loudly in their ears. A monk with cymbals on his thumb and forefinger stood across from them, relishing the din he'd just made. Immediately, all three ninjas charged Sheen at once. The boy's self-confidence melted away right then…but it was too late. The ninjas surrounded and overwhelmed him in a matter of seconds. Dazed, Sheen dropped to the ground and the ninjas raised their hands in triumph.

Slowly and painfully pulling himself to his feet, Sheen staggered about dizzily. "Déjà vu…"

Libby had moved her hand away from her face during the fight. Now her eyes practically bored into Sheen as she frowned, half-anxious and half-angry. "Sheen!" she yelled. "Whadda ya think you're doin'? Pull yourself together!"

Sheen blinked and came back to the situation on hand at the sound of her voice. Puffing out his chest bravely, he waded back into the group of ninjas, who were still rejoicing over their early victory. With a valiant effort, the boy clenched his fists and prepared to fight again.

"C'mon, boys! I'm not done! Take your best shot!" he taunted.

Glancing at one of his comrades, one of the ninjas threw another punch at Sheen, shoving him on his back once more.

"Ow!" Sheen turned to Libby and reached an arm for her dramatically. "Don't forget me when I leave, Libby!"

Libby glared. "You're not goin' anywhere!" she shot back matter-of-factly. "Get back up an' take it like a man!" Then, with sudden inspiration, she added quietly but firmly, "Remember, 'What would Ultralord do?'"

Sheen perked up immediately. "Ultralord?" he repeated softly, and sat up with a look of determination. "They'll face the wrath of Ultralord's very own battle buddy!" he declared.

At the words "battle buddy", Cindy threw a confused glance at Libby. "What?" she asked, receiving just a shrug from her equally puzzled friend.

The monks, who'd been distracted by the ninjas' victory and had been watching them celebrate with slightly bewildered expressions, hadn't noticed this exchange. So it was with great surprise that they watched Sheen step toward the ninjas with renewed courage. But his opponents saw his approach and were ready in mere moments. One leapt forward, flipping in mid-air, and extended his leg in a flying kick that hit Sheen square in the chest. Again, Sheen collapsed on his back to find himself staring back up at three fierce ninjas.

The air rushed out of the boys' chest, and he lay there for a second trying to force oxygen back into his lungs. When it finally came, his eyes widened as the ninjas crowded around him with victory glinting in their eyes. "Sweet mother of Ultralord!" Sheen cried out.

The ninjas and monks all glanced at one another in shock.

"Ultralord?" one of the ninjas repeated in confusion.

As realization dawned, one of the monks stepped forward and shouted. "I know this Ultralord he spoke of! He is a fictional hero for all who are good! This boy is not the Chosen One; he is an opposter!"

"_Fictional?_" Sheen repeated in horror, but his voice was drowned out as the lone monk's cry was caught up by others.

"Imposters!"

As if they had been waiting all this time for a summons, dozens of other monks and ninjas poured out of the buildings and sprang toward all three of the kids.

"We gotta get outta here!" Libby cried in alarm, her eyes scanning the courtyard for an exit.

Cindy grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on!" She dragged Libby toward Sheen, who was still being surrounded. Hastily, Libby snatched Sheen up in her arms, swung him over her shoulder as she groaned under the weight, and charged toward the nearest exit.

The three of them had practically made it to the edge of the courtyard when a dark figure pounced out of the darkness and blocked their path. In the moonlight, the ninja looked more like a shadow come to life, with only his yellow outfit betraying him. As the girls came to a screeching halt and stared at the unpleasantly familiar figure, Yoo Yee glared back, his face furious with a passion for revenge.

Cindy and Libby hesitated nervously while Sheen, still flopped over Libby's shoulder, struggled to turn his head and see why they'd stopped running. At last he caught a glimpse of Yoo Yee, who threw him a threatening look.

"Chosen One!" he barked. "You run in the way of the coward, but it is not over! I will defeat you and take your place!"

"I'd like to see ya do it!" Libby shot back.

With a smirk, Yoo Yee jumped several feet off the ground and propelled himself through the air. As he rushed at Sheen and aimed a punch for his face, Libby ducked quickly, letting Yoo Yee fly harmlessly past Sheen. Without wasting a second, Libby straightened herself and sprinted for the courtyard's opening with Cindy on her heels. Infuriated, Yoo Yee spun around and shouted after their fleeing forms.

"What? Do you fear the man-bird? Ha! That is because you do not even know how to fight! All you can do is run! I am like the eagle; you are like the prey that will be caught at a time that is near!" Rather than bothering to pursue them, the ninja seemed content to let his mocking words ring in the boy's ears.

"What?!" Sheen cried out indignantly. "Libby, turn around! I have to defend my dignity!" he insisted.

"No way!" Libby answered through her heavy breathing. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as she plowed through the valley, but she didn't dare slow down.

Behind them, Cindy glanced over her shoulder to see Yoo Yee watching them darkly. He might have been satisfied to let them escape for now, but the others were a different story. While she, Libby, and Sheen rushed through Shangri Llama's grounds, the ninjas were pouring out of the courtyard's entrance like an angry flood. "Hurry up! They're coming!" she called after her friend.

Libby could hardly speak she was panting so hard now. "Girl...there's no way...we can outrun 'em!"

Cindy couldn't argue with that. Her friend appeared ready to collapse as it was, but with Sheen squirming to run back and face Yoo Yee, she didn't dare set him down. They were doomed...unless...

She came to a sudden halt, determination shimmering in her eyes. "You keep going!" she shouted after Libby. "I'll hold them back!"

The worry was clear in Libby's voice and for a moment she slowed down. "How'll you get out?!"

"I'll figure out a way. Keep going; I'll meet you outside Shangri Llama!" Turning to face the onset of ninjas, Cindy positioned herself and awaited the attack.

Though she hated to leave her best friend behind, Libby knew she was more capable than Sheen. She had to get Ihim/I out of this place, that was for sure. With a grimace, she gasped for more air and sped up. She ran breathlessly through the grass, hardly paying attention to where she was going. Sheen had finally quit struggling and instead felt like a solid block of lead on her shoulder, but she was too afraid to stop to let him down. Meanwhile, Sheen, being Sheen, was enjoying himself: completely unconcerned, he was perfectly comfortable to be dead weight in Libby's arms and watch Cindy's tiny figure as she stood against the ninjas racing for her.

At last, the ninjas' cries faded away and were replaced with silence. Libby felt that she'd put enough distance between them and the ninjas to stop. Relieved, she plopped Sheen down in the grass. Rubbing her shoulder, she stared back in the direction from which they'd come as if she could see past the rolling landscape to determine her friend's fate. The silence, Libby decided suddenly, was far from soothing, but eerie. It only reminded her that they were all far from Earth, on a clone-made replica with almost no life besides the grass beneath their feet and the evil citizens hunting them down.

Frowning into the darkness, Libby brought her mind back to the present. Now what should they do? Ye was still back in the courtyard as far as she knew; Cindy was distracting the ninjas to protect her friends; and Jimmy was somewhere on the cliff overshadowing her. She hated to go any further with her friend still back in Shangri Llama, but at the same time, she knew that both she and Sheen had no chance up against the ninjas.

It was Sheen who snapped her out of her train of thought. "Hey, Libbs."

Libby turned her head to frown at him, feeling a bit ill-tempered after having to carry him such a distance. "What?" she demanded a little shortly.

Sheen smiled up at her. "You look even more beautiful under the stars."

Libby's face suddenly softened as a smile brightened her face. "Ya look pretty cute in your clothes, too," she conceded.

Sheen jumped to his feet excitedly and puffed out his chest in an effort to look macho. "Well, you know, babe, we manly men can't help but look good," he replied.

The girl couldn't help but giggle. "Come on, Sheen; we gotta go," she told him, starting off toward the cliff where they'd left Jimmy waiting. She looked pointedly at Sheen as he raced up to her side. "Ya know, Yoo Yee's really got it in for ya now."

"Yeah, but he won't have a chance against my Ultralord moves!"

He received a skeptical expression in response. "Ya mean the ones that left ya lyin' on your back in front of those ninjas?" Libby questioned dryly.

"I was just getting warmed up!" Sheen insisted.

They walked on wordlessly for a minute, until the boy turned his face up to the sky, from which thousands of thousands of stars sparkle down on them. Turning to Libby, he smoothed back his hair and winked. "This is just like the episode where the lovely Ultralady agrees to be Ultralord's girl forever!"

Libby shook her head, but still couldn't hold back a small smile. "Sheen, I'm kinda already your girlfriend, remember?"

"And that means you have to come over on Friday!" Sheen concluded. "My very life depends on it!" he added melodramatically. "You're my Sorceress of Sass!"

"Sheen, do me a favor."

Holding a hand over his heart, Sheen proclaimed solemnly, "Anything you say, Queen of the Galaxy!"

Libby frowned and rolled her eyes. "Stop doin' that."

* * *

Jimmy reacted as soon as he saw the weapon in Evil Jimmy's hand. As it shot toward him, he reached for Goddard, who sprang into the air and flew over to Carl, crouching in terror on the cliff's edge. The weapon hit the ground and exploded in a fiery blast that spewed debris in every direction, but Goddard had already moved Jimmy and Carl a safe distance away. The robot dog released Carl from his mouth and set him gently down; Jimmy dropped down beside his friend a moment later. As the black smoke cleared, he caught sight of the evil clone starting up his jet pack.

"He's getting away!" Jimmy exclaimed.

Carl nudged a pebble at his foot. "Well, can't we just let him?" he asked. "He's kinda scary…"

His friend ignored him. "Come on, Carl! Goddard, flycycle mode!" he ordered urgently.

In moments, Jimmy's mechanical dog had transformed and Jimmy had hopped into the seat. Reluctantly, Carl climbed up behind the boy genius. Goddard rose into the air and sped forward to follow the path of the clone, who was already some distance ahead. Carl shrieked and held onto his Jimmy so tightly the boy could barely breathe.

"Carl!" Jimmy choked out. "_Carl!_"

Carl refused to listen, so Jimmy was left to gasp in as much of the cool air as he could while it rushed by his face and rippled through his hair. With only the stars to see by, it was difficult to keep sight of Evil Jimmy. Only the jet pack's flame and trail of smoke gave the clone away as Goddard pursued him over the rolling grounds of Shangri Llama.

"All Evil Jimmy does is steal and duplicate all of my inventions!" Jimmy murmured to himself, despite Carl's grip on his neck. "It's almost like trying to beat myself."

Too distracted by the sickening blur of green far below, Carl only closed his eyes and clung tighter to Jimmy.

Evil Jimmy continued to follow a winding path through the air, forcing Jimmy to swing up and down, left and right. Carl yelled at every twist and continued to strengthen his grip on the genius; it was so strong, in fact, that Jimmy could just barely steer Goddard. He frowned and tried to extricate himself from Carl's grasp, but it was no use. Nauseous and terrified, Carl had clamped down mercilessly on the only thing he had to hold onto, and he wasn't about to let go.

All of a sudden, Jimmy's irritation turned to alarm. "C-Carl…" His words came out breathless and strained as he struggled to break free. With his friend's arms wrapped around him, he couldn't even reach Goddard's handlebars anymore! Even as he spoke, the mechanical dog began plunging downward. Carl screamed and squeezed Jimmy tighter in response, but Goddard was quick to act. He transformed back into his original form, rushed downward to land, and reached his robotic hand from his back to catch the boys in mid-air. Still, that didn't stop Carl from screaming until Goddard had set them down on the grass. Then, at last, Carl quieted and let go of Jimmy, who staggered away, trying to catch his breath.

As the air rushed back into his lungs, Jimmy faced his friend angrily. "Carl! What were you doing?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Jim. It was scary!"

"Yeah, well your fear practically strangled me!" Jimmy responded, still glaring at the boy. He glanced back up at the sky, scanning it for any sign of Evil Jimmy. Wisps of smoke still floated through the air, but they were dissipating quickly. The clone was gone. "And you just let Evil Jimmy escape!" the boy added.

Carl stared at his feet. "I get motion sick."

Jimmy threw his hands up in exasperation. Sighing, he headed back over to Goddard. "Come on, Carl," he muttered.

The redhead's eyes widened. "You mean we have to fly again?"


	24. Deception

**Oh, man. I haven't updated since school started, have I? Let's just say the combination of classes and homework and the loverly job is a bit time-consuming. And when I'm not busy, I'm tired, so it's kinda hard to be motivated to sit down and write. You should be proud of me, lol. I hope it's not terribly crappy. I'm also sleep-deprived today, so who am I to be the judge of crappy vs. non-crappy right now? Heh. Nah, it's not all bad, guys. I'm actually enjoying school, believe it or not. It just takes up writing time!**

**Thanks, always, for your replies. I'd reply to them all individually...but I don't think there's much to say this time other than "thank you", and I'm so friggin' lazy tonight...**

* * *

**Chapter ****23: Deception**

Cindy flipped backward and landed perfectly on her feet to face a dozen angry, bruised ninjas. She'd managed to hold her own this long against the skilled fighters, but she knew she couldn't keep it up for long. Outnumbered as she was, it would only be a matter of time before even her seemingly inexhaustible endurance wore out. She wasn't one to give up, but her common sense was screaming at her: it was time to run. All she'd meant to do was distract the ninjas long enough for Sheen and Libby to escape, and a quick glance past the figures approaching her proved they were out of sight. Time to make her getaway.

Before the ninjas could shorten the gap between her and them, Cindy spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction. Taken by surprise, the figures behind her hesitated a moment before starting to pursue her. That moment was all Cindy needed. Winding around the corner of Shangri Llama's courtyard wall, she swung onto the lowest branch of a nearby tree--one of the only trees she'd seen on this asteroid. Then she pulled herself up into the next branch and sat back in the darkness. The ninjas rounded the corner, but, not expecting her to be perched right above them, rushed right past. As soon as they passed out of sight, Cindy shimmied along her branch until she reached the top of the wall, then practically hurled herself over it. She hit the ground with a thud before picking herself up and leaning back against the wall to catch her breath and take in her surroundings.

From where she stood, everything seemed empty and silent, even the buildings. With anxiety clutching at her heart, Cindy decided it was time to press forward before the monks found her. She crept across the courtyard, hardly breathing. Dim starlight still poured into the courtyard's center, but deep shadows clustered at its edges, so Cindy clung to those. Every moment she expected a ninja to emerge from the darkness and catch her unaware--a fear that made her continually scan her surroundings for even the slightest movement.

She set her eyes on the wall ahead of her. All she needed to do was climb that wall and head out into the grounds, heading in the opposite direction all the monks and ninjas anticipated her to go. Once she had set a good distance between herself and Shangri Llama, she could find her way back to her friends...somehow.

Moving in closer to one of the buildings, she continued to keep to the shadows as she slipped toward the wall, now only a few yards away. She was almost free! But even as this thought ran through her mind, she heard approaching footsteps thudding against the stone floor of the courtyard. Immediately her heart shot into overdrive. Leaning against the side of the building and standing motionless, she peered into the darkness, fearing what she'd see.

For several seconds, she didn't see anything but shadows. Then something stepped out of the blackness: a figure whose deep red kimono was illuminated by the silver glow saturating the air. The vivid color stood in stark contrast to against the dull background of the building behind it, making the sudden appearance all the more startling. But, contrary to what she'd expected, the form wasn't tall and imposing, but only a little taller than Cindy herself. As it stepped further into the light, Cindy gaped in surprise.

"Betty?" she whispered.

It wasn't Betty's appearance that surprised Cindy the most; it was her own reaction. As opposed to her usual overwhelming disgust and jealousy, she was, for once in her life, happy to see Betty Quinlan. It was only now she realized just how remorseful she felt over getting Betty into this mess, far away from home and in the company of villains; and, most of all, how much pain she'd experienced seeing Jimmy dejected. She couldn't deny the part of her that wanted to mend all of the trouble she'd caused.

"Come on; let's get out of here," she murmured, gesturing to the girl across from her almost eagerly.

Blinking, Betty studied Cindy in confusion. Even with that puzzled expression on her face, Cindy had to admit the girl was pretty. Her dark hair, pulled into a bun and adorned with hair sticks, shone beautifully in the night, especially against her crimson outfit. Her sparkling brown eyes and lovely face held a sweet, innocent look. Obviously, "Jia" had received much honor from the monks and ninjas as well, for her silk kimono was traced with shimmering gold threads while a hint of scarlet lipstick and pink eyeshadow brightened her face. The idea that Shangri Llama's newest member was held in such high esteem was rather mystifying, but Cindy was too distracted by the girl's stunning appearance to ponder that much. Inwardly, she was sighing. She couldn't blame Jimmy for being captivated by Betty, for what boy wouldn't admire her beauty? Cindy had a sinking feeling that she was destined to always be lost somewhere in Betty's shadow.

At last Betty interrupted her thoughts. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her brow furrowed.

"I came to get you out of here," Cindy replied, unsuccessfully resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't you want to go home?"

Right away, Betty's face lit up, and she followed Cindy toward the wall wordlessly. Whatever disgust she'd felt earlier seemed to have vanished with the prospect of freedom.

But before the girls could get far they were startled by a noise to their right. Cindy paused and spun around, only to be taken by surprise once again.

"Neutron?" she said, a bit confused. She could do little else but stare at the form creeping toward them.

Jimmy had been moving cautiously through the darkness, but as soon as he caught sight of Cindy he hurried to her. Brushing back his windswept hair with one hand and clutching the strap of his backpack with the other, he studied them both, half-anxious, half-shy.

"Cindy! You found Betty!" he exclaimed. "You OK?" he added, frowning in concern.

Cindy simply nodded, biting her lip just to hold back the smile that was sure to come otherwise. "What are you doing here?" she wondered.

Before he could answer, a thudding sound rang out in the night and Jimmy's eyes widened with alarm. "Quiet!" he whispered, grabbing Cindy's arm and pulling her against the nearest building. He reached for Betty, who hurriedly tore her arm away from him.

"Ugh!" she cried, glaring at him with an intensity in her eyes Cindy had never seen before. "Keep away, Freaktron!"

Jimmy cringed, his face full of hurt; and as she watched, Cindy experienced a strange mixture of emotions. The noises that had caught Jimmy's attention seconds before snapped her out of her thoughts this time: inhabitants of Shangri Llama were coming their way! Still frowning, Betty stepped back from Jimmy, while Cindy, in her fear, slid closer to his side.

"Come on, guys," Jimmy ordered softly. He crept alongside the building they were standing next to and toward its open doorway, and, seeing no one within, slipped inside. Cindy began to follow, but Betty just crossed her arms and glowered at her. Irritated and impatient, Cindy snatched her arm and dragged her inside with her. She peered outside to make sure there was no one else in sight; then carefully shut the door.

Jimmy was standing a few feet away, studying the room. It was long and low, with flickering candles lending a dim, eerie light to the center while leaving everything else in shadow. Slender wooden pillars formed two rows running the length of the room, and a few mats were spread out on the floor, but otherwise the room was empty.

Cindy swept her eyes over the room in a few moments. "Now what?" she questioned, unable to keep the hint of impatience out of her voice.

Jimmy was still staring into the shadows. "We stay here until they leave."

As she listened, Cindy could hear the ninjas close by, bickering amongst themselves. She turned back to Jimmy suddenly. "Why did you come, anyway?"

Jimmy glanced down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I...thought you might've gotten hurt..." He shrugged.

Betty's voice rang out unusually sharp. "I'm leaving," she cut in firmly, stepping back toward the door.

"Betty, you can't go!" Jimmy cried urgently.

"We're taking you home, remember?" Cindy added.

"I'm not going home with _him_." She gave Jimmy another disdainful glance, and again his face twisted in pain. Cindy felt her hopes crash to the floor when she saw how much Betty meant to him, but she had too much to worry about right now to let those emotions get in the way.

"You can ignore Neutron all you want," she informed Betty in a business-like tone. "Just come with me."

"Ew! _You?_ No way! If I can't stand him, what makes you think I could stand _you_?" Betty shot back, causing Cindy to blink in surprise. Before she could react, Betty turned and reached for the door as the voices outside grew louder.

Cindy cringed while Jimmy continued to plead with Betty, but it was clear trying to convince Betty was a hopeless cause. Reaching into her pocket, she felt the cold, hard surface of the Mood Alternator. Her mouth felt dry and her heart pounded loudly in her ears. She hated to even think about using reversing its effects, but that was just it: there was no time to think. There was only time to undo what she had done to Betty...what she had unwittingly done to Jimmy.

Everything else seemed to freeze as she drew the invention out, swallowed hard, and pointed it straight at Betty. As her finger slid over the button, Jimmy glanced over at her and reacted quickly.

"Cindy, stop!"

The girl stared at Jimmy in shock. "What?"

Even Betty backed away from the doorway to see what was going on. Abruptly and without a word of explanation, Jimmy spun around and strode further into the room, toward the shadows.

"Jimmy? What are you doing?" Cindy demanded.

There was no answer.

"Neutron, have you lost your mind?" the blonde snapped.

All of a sudden, the sound of chuckling burst out from the other side of the room. Shoving the Mood Alternator back into her pocket, Cindy stepped forward worriedly. In the dim light, she could see Jimmy leaning against one of the pillars...laughing. She halted and stared at the boy bewilderedly, trying to make sense of everything.

"You fell for that, all right!" The voice came from Jimmy, but it wasn't his voice. Somehow, though, it was vaguely familiar... Then it hit Cindy. Jimmy's clone!

"I could've kept up the ruse, too!" He faced Cindy with a cruel smile twisting his lips. "Did ya really believe your sweet little Jimmy would be worryin' his big head over you? He's too busy freakin' over Betty, remember?"

Cindy swallowed and glared at the clone. It wasn't often she was left speechless, but his last words stung too much...perhaps because she knew, deep down, that the evil clone was right. Jimmy was far too concerned about Betty right now to give her a single thought. She clenched her hands into fists furiously, wondering how she could ever have fallen for the clone's act. She'd been an idiot; she should have known right away that something was wrong, but she'd swallowed it all anyway. Probably because she'd wanted it to be real.

Shoving aside these painful thoughts, she spoke up bravely. "You still can't keep me here, Captain Crazy! I already fought my way through your nutcase ninjas; what makes you think I can't do it again?"

The clone waved it off. "I'm not dense; I think I can figure that out. I just wanna talk to you about some things before ya scram. That's why I brought ya here. How's that sound?"

Cindy eyed him suspiciously, arms crossed. "What do you have to say?"

"A lot, actually." He paused to study her thoughtfully. "I know how you hate Betty and want all of Jimmy's attention."

If anything, the girl's glare only intensified. "So?" she shot back.

"You're not bad looking, sweetheart. Get rid of Betty and bingo!" --the clone snapped his fingers-- "Jimmy notices you; your problem's solved. Not complicated."

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "I think I can take care of my own problems."

"Look," Evil Jimmy began, "you appreciate Jimmy's smarts, even if you bash 'em all the time. Now appreciate mine. I mean, come on, Jim and I are practically related! My brain can work just as well as that oversized one of his."

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "And you want to use your so-called genius to help me...why?" she demanded skeptically.

"'Cause, I help you, and you'll help me. That's just the way it works. I know ya wanna get rid of Betty."

Cindy's heart skipped a beat and she forgot to breathe. The clone's offer was so tantalizing it was overwhelming. Get rid of Betty. Make her vanish for good, out of her life, out of her hair.

Wait...what was she thinking? He probably meant to eliminate Betty from the picture. _For good._ A cold feeling washed over her at the terrible thought. Her knees grew weak and her mind seemed to spin as the multitude of questions, ideas, and emotions plagued her all at once. She could hardly think straight. She might be desperate, but that...that was... Cindy couldn't even manage to finish the sentence running through her mind.

Still, finding a way to get rid of Betty... That was worth consideration...


End file.
